Awry
by moonstone glows
Summary: The mission is over, the feathers are found, and our Heros are heading for home. Nothing could possibly go wrong now, right? The best laid plans will often go awry.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer. It ain't mine, much as I might wish it were.

Note: This is AU. No one is a Vampire, everyone has all of their appropriate limbs attached, but Syaoran is the real Syaoran, the clone is gone. I hope the characters are not too OOC, but if they are, please forgive me, I am having trouble getting hold of the manga on this rock upon which I live. If anyone thinks Kuro-puppy is too OOC, just bear in mind I have never seen him be horrible to one of the kids. Fai yes, Mokona yes, the kids, no. Grouchy yes, horrible, no.

/x/

Fai sat huddled on the window sill in his hotel room, staring down into the bustling street below, people shopping late into the night under strings of little colored lanterns. Their mission was over, they had retrieved the last of Sakura's feathers today, and he knew that downstairs, the others were celebrating in the hotel's restaurant, but he didn't feel like joining them. Tomorrow, Mokona would deliver them back to Yuuko, for the final legs of their journey, Kuro-chan would be going back to Nihon, back to his princess, and his position as her guard, Sakura and Syaoran would be going to Clow, Sakura was buoyant at the thought of seeing her brother again, and Syaoran was looking forward to seeing the land that he had previously only seen through the eyes of his clone and Mokona was even more hyper than usual at the prospect of getting home and being with Yuuko and the black Mokona again.

Fai was happy for them, genuinely happy that everything had fallen right for the rest of the party, but he felt lonelier right now than he had at any point since leaving Valeria and meeting Ashura in Celes. Fai had nowhere and no-one to return to, both of his home worlds were gone, and the only 'family' he had left would be leaving him tomorrow, leaving him all alone with the stark choice of trying to start over yet again on another new world, or traveling on and on through many worlds. He felt tears slip down his cheeks and brushed them away impatiently, breathing deeply to try to get himself back under control. Sooner or later, one of the others would come up to find out why he hadn't come down, and he refused to ruin their hard won good moods with his self pity.

Getting a little stiffly off the sill, he changed for bed and climbed between the covers, so that he could at least pretend that he had been tired and gone to bed if anyone came up. The tiny little voice that lived in the back of his head, the one that sounded suspiciously like his father sometimes, and Ashura at others, pointed out that it had been an hour so far and no one had come up, they had probably not even noticed that he wasn't there, and why should they, he hadn't been much help on their journey and at times he had been a real liability, he had caused so much pain to Kurogane. Fai rolled over onto his stomach and buried his face in the pillow, his fists curling loosely in the fabric as he tried to make himself sleep, but this time he couldn't stop the tears flowing, he broke and sobbed into the pillow, he didn't want to be alone again.

/x/

Kurogane and Syaoran paused outside Fai's door after they had poured the somewhat drunk princess into bed.

"Why do you think he didn't come down?" Syaoran asked.

"Who knows," Kurogane grunted.

He didn't bother knocking, if the mage was asleep, he didn't intend waking him up, he just gripped the door handle and cracked the door open slightly, the shaft of light from the door falling across the bed. Fai lay sprawled face down as usual, and Kurogane's sharp eyes picked up faint traces of tears on the cheek that was partially turned into the light, but he seemed to be sleeping calmly enough now, and Kurogane decided it must have just been one of his nightmares.

"He's out kid, leave him to sleep. We have an early start in the morning, so we should get to sleep too," Kurogane said, closing the door again.

"Right, good night, Kurogane-san."

Kurogane watched as Syaoran went into his own room, Mokona asleep or passed out in his pocket, and looked back at the door he had just shut. It disturbed him on some level that he was unwilling to acknowledge, that the mage had been up here crying alone while they were down there in the restaurant enjoying themselves. With a sigh, he opened the door again, and slipped inside, closing the door and kicking his boots off, he lay fully clothed on top of the covers and eased the sleeping mage into his arms, very careful not to wake him.

Fai snuggled unconsciously into the unexpected warmth and comfort, not waking from the exhausted sleep he had cried himself into.

/x/

Fai woke up alone, but he knew the feeling of someone holding him through the night hadn't been his imagination, he was lying on his side, and he only lay that way when someone else was in the bed, and the other pillow was rumpled. Leaning over he scented the pillow, picking up the faintest hint of pear with an underlying light musk. Why had Kurogane shared his bed last night when he had been so pleased they had been able to get their own rooms here? He contemplated for one moment teasing Kurogane about sleeping with him last night and sneaking out before he woke, but dismissed it quickly, he was grateful for the peaceful night, and this would be the last day he would see Kurogane, he didn't want the ninja to go back to his own world hating him.

After washing and dressing, Fai went to the door, leaning against the wood for a long moment, making sure that everything was pushed down, making sure he could smile for the others without it cracking. Plastering the smile on, he opened the door and stepped out, as Syaoran and Mokona stepped out of the room across the hall.

"Good morning, Syaoran-kun, did you sleep well?" Fai asked, his voice cheerful.

"Yes, thank you, Fai-san. Did you?"

"Oh yes, I slept fine, thank you,"

"You didn't come down last night, I hope nothing was wrong,"

"No, I was just very tired, all I needed was a good nights sleep to be my usual self," he said.

Mokona bounced off Syaoran's shoulder and settled on Fai's snuggling into his neck, and Fai knew that the little creature knew he wasn't as happy as he pretended to be, but would say nothing while there was anyone else there.

"And you, Mokona, did you sleep well?" he asked.

"Yes, I had good dreams. Did you have good dreams, Fai?"

"I don't remember, but I'm sure I did. Nothing woke me anyway," he shrugged one shoulder, so as not to dislodge Mokona.

"Shall we go down to breakfast then?" Mokona asked hopefully.

"You two go ahead, I'm going to make sure the princess is awake and ready to go when we've eaten," Syaoran said.

"Fai is sad," Mokona said quietly from its perch on Fai's shoulder as the mage walked down the stairs.

"A little, Mokona, but it will be all right," he shook his head.

Mokona sighed in his ear, but let it go as they reached the bottom of the stairs and saw Kurogane already waiting for them at the table they usually occupied.

Fai nodded silently to the ninja and slipped into the seat across the table from him, looking down at the white cloth covering the wood.

"Kuro-daddy, did you sleep well?" Mokona asked, bouncing over to rest on top of Kurogane's head and leaning over to look upside down into the red eyes.

"Damn it manjuu, don't call me that, and get off my head," he snarled, making a grab for Mokona's ears as Sakura and Syaoran came down the stairs together.

The table soon filled with noisy chatter between Mokona and the kids, and Kurogane watched the mage curiously. The smaller man was quiet, not that he wasn't talking to the others, but he wasn't saying anything unless they spoke directly to him, and he so far hadn't tormented Kurogane himself once, nor had he called him by one of his foolish nicknames, hadn't directly addressed him at all, actually.

Fai could feel the red eyes on him, and determinedly kept his own eyes fixed on the table or one of the others, not wanting to meet that perceptive gaze. He knew the other saw through him far too easily, and he didn't want him to see things he had managed to keep hidden up until now. It was the thought of being without Kurogane that was the hardest to bear, he would miss the kids and Mokona hugely of course, but Kurogane was something special. He had fallen hard for the grouchy ninja, and he didn't want the ninja burdened with his unwelcome feelings, which he would never return.

"Right, is everyone ready to go?" Kurogane asked as soon as they all seemed to have finished eating.

"I need to get something from my room," Fai said, making a break for it and fleeing up the stairs.

He leaned against the door; thinking for a moment about running for it now, transporting himself to another world while they were downstairs, but he couldn't do it, could imagine the look in the princess's eyes, if he left without saying goodbye. Sinking down on the bed, he buried his face in his hands, trying to figure out what he was going to do, he didn't want to run away again, didn't want to hurt them, but he wasn't sure how much longer he could keep the mask up. It hurt, it really hurt, seeing their happy faces, and knowing that there were people waiting for them, and that he would never have anyone waiting for him. The spell was written before he was even aware he was doing it, and he was almost startled as the purple glow of his own magic wrapped around him.

"Oh," he whispered, feeling the spell take hold. He wasn't even sure what he had done to himself.

/x/

Kurogane looked impatiently toward the stairs, growling softly. Where the hell had the mage got to? He had gone up to his room nearly twenty minutes ago, and he still wasn't back, they were waiting on him to leave now.

"I'll go and see where he is," Sakura said, darting for the stairs before Kurogane could decide to go after him, it would be awful if after their wonderful journey, it ended now with another fight between the two men, they had managed to avoid their usual bickering for the last couple of days and she wanted to keep it that way.

Kurogane snorted, watching her go, he knew what she had been thinking, but really, he would love a fight with the mage, some hint that the idiot was himself, he didn't like the way he had been acting this last couple of days, especially this morning. His contemplation was shattered by the sound of Sakura screaming from upstairs, and he and Syaoran were running before thought could catch up with action. Sakura was standing in the doorway of Fai's room, her hand over her mouth, her green eyes wide.

"What is it?" Syaoran asked.

"Fai-san, he…" she whispered from behind her hand, her other hand waving vaguely to the room.

Crowding into the doorway, the others looked at where she had indicated. Fai's familiar fluffy coat was lying on the floor, along with the rest of his clothes, all lying over a small, quivering lump.

"I think I scared him when I screamed," she said unhappily.

Kurogane said nothing, simply stepping past her and moving over to the clothing, crouching down to pull it back from whatever was underneath. He felt his mind crash offline for a long moment, he was tiny, looked to be five or six years old, wide blue eyes terrified and lost, the child was naked because Fai's clothes had been far too big for the tiny frame, and all that covered him was the ridiculously long blond hair. There was no denying the identity of this child, he was exactly as he had looked in the visions they had seen.

"Fai," Mokona blurted, bouncing over. The child whimpered wordlessly, scrabbling away in fear, and Mokona froze, not sure what to do.

"Yuui," Kurogane said in a low voice, holding out one hand.

The boy moved cautiously closer, allowing Kurogane to pull him to stand in front of him.

"None of us is going to hurt you, do you understand?" he asked very quietly, he knew what crap Fai had been through as a kid, and he had no idea what had happened to him, or how much of his adult life he remembered. He was unwilling to frighten him needlessly. A hesitant nod indicated that the boy had understood him, but he made no effort at all to speak in return.

"Do you know who we are, Yuui?"

A hesitant shake this time, but still no words.

"All right, I am Kurogane; this is Sakura-hime, and Syaoran-kun. The white manjuu there is Mokona," he sighed. They were screwed; the bloody mage didn't even remember who they were.

"Kid, grab the mini mage, we'd better get him to the witch, see if we can figure out what the hell is going on here. Princess, would you mind grabbing his clothes, except for the outer coat, we'll have to wrap him in that," he sighed, rising.

There was a small shriek, and a tiny body backing into his legs as Syaoran went to pick the little boy up. Kurogane looked down with a raised eyebrow as the kid hid behind his legs, clinging tightly as he all but vanished inside the folds of the cloak, he wasn't used to anyone seeing him as the safe option.

Bending, he tugged the kid to the front again, intending to hold him in place for Syaoran to get hold of him, but feeling him shaking, he decided it just wasn't worth freaking him out more right now.

"Fine," he growled, taking the coat the princess held out and wrapping it around the frail body and picking him up. The smaller body rested trustingly against his as the blond head came to rest on his shoulder.

"Manjuu, don't leap around, don't yell, just get in with Yuui and keep him company," he said. He needed the kid to have some trust in Mokona before the manjuu tried to transport them, he didn't know what would happen if Yuui's magic fought against Mokona's but he had a feeling he didn't want to find out.

Sensing Yuui's fear, and Kurogane's concern about what would happen if the little boy tried to stop the transport, Mokona obeyed, wriggling carefully into the white fluffy mass of the coat and waiting until the thin arms reached out to close around it, before slowly pulling it back against the bony chest. Mokona projected all the calm it could muster as it snuggled with the frightened boy.

"What happened to him?" Sakura asked.

"Hopefully the witch can tell us that, without it costing us our souls," he snorted.

"Let's get out of here," Kurogane said as soon as Sakura had gathered up Fai's belongings.

They left the hotel and walked to a big park a few streets away, Kurogane sat on the grass, crossing his legs under him, and set down the bundled up Yuui, who was still clutching Mokona quite tightly.

"Yuui, you need to listen to me now," he said.

Blue eyes peered from behind the mass of blond hair, looking wary.

"We're going to be leaving here soon, Yuui, Mokona is going to be transporting us all to another place, and you have to let it happen. You mustn't get scared and try to stop it. Do you understand?" he asked.

That got him a hesitant headshake, to indicate that he didn't understand.

"Dimensional transport spell," Mokona piped up, and Kurogane was about to tell him to pipe down when Yuui nodded to indicate he understood what Mokona had said.

"So, you understand what the manjuu is going to do?" Kurogane pressed.

Yuui nodded this time, and Kurogane sighed, he never thought he would miss the mage's incessant babbling.

"And you understand you can't try to stop it?"

Another nod and Yuui let go of Mokona, allowing Kurogane to pull him close again.

"All right manjuu, get us out of here," Kurogane said, still sitting on the ground holding the kid close to him.

/x/

Yuuko stepped outside as she sensed Mokona's dimensional shift, watching silently as the travelers appeared back in the spot they had left from so long ago. She raised an eyebrow when they appeared, wondering what was going on, Sakura and Syaoran stood together, pretty much as expected, but Kurogane was sitting on the grass, holding a tiny child tightly.

"Where's Fai?" she asked, suspecting the answer, but needing to hear it confirmed.

"He's here," Kurogane said, standing up easily without letting go of the child.

"What on Earth happened?" she asked.

"We were hoping you would be able to give us a clue on that, or even better fix it," he growled.

"He was fine this morning, he went up to his room before we left and didn't come down again. When Sakura-hime went to look for him, she found…" Syaoran trailed off, gesturing helplessly to the boy in Kurogane's arms.

Kurogane snorted quietly at the idea that the mage had been fine, but kept any comment to himself, if they had missed how unhappy he was that was probably what Fai had been aiming for.

"Hmm, bring him inside," Yuuko said.

"We want to know the price first," Kurogane said sharply.

"Does the price matter?"

"Yes, I don't want any of us forgetting anything, or giving up anything we would miss too much. If your price is too high, I will take him to Tomoyo-hime, and see what she can do for him," he said.

"You are learning, ninja," she laughed.

"Very well, the price for trying to find out what happened to him is that when Sakura and Syaoran decide to marry, I will be invited," she said.

Both of the younger ones blushed scarlet and Syaoran started to stammer something completely incoherent, Sakura glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and pulled herself together first.

"That is a price I will gladly meet. When we marry, you will be invited," she said, her voice steady, even if she was still bright red.

"Good, then come along," she said, waving them inside.

Leading them to her parlor, she reached out for the little one.

"Come on Fai, let's see what's going on with you," she said.

The child whimpered and clung tightly to Kurogane, turning his face away.

"Don't call him that, he doesn't seem to like it," Kurogane said.

He stroked the boy's tense back lightly and kept his voice level when he spoke.

"Yuui, she isn't going to hurt you. I'm right here, and I won't let anyone hurt you," he reassured him. He whined wordlessly again, but loosened his grip to allow Kurogane to hand him to Yuuko.

"Watanuki, bring me my crystals," she called out, setting Yuui down on the chaise lounge.

The others found seats and settled down to watch in silence as Yuuko tried to figure out what had happened to their mage.

It was the best part of an hour before the witch stepped away from where Yuui was lying on the chaise, sleeping now.

"There's nothing I can do," she said bluntly.


	2. Chapter 2

"What do you mean, there's nothing you can do?" Kurogane hissed, angry but unwilling to wake the boy.

"Just that, whatever happened, it wasn't a curse and there is no hint of dark magic at all. His own power _seems _to have been used, but I can't tell exactly what the spell was or even if there is any way to reverse it at all. _If _there is a way to reverse it, he will have to do it himself, or he will just have to grow up again," she said.

"So what's going to happen to him now?" Sakura asked, wide eyed.

"I don't know, he most certainly can't look after himself. Mokona, how much of his memory is intact?" Yuuko asked.

"None, in mind as well as body, he is five years old. If it is still there at all, it is deeply buried. His magic is intact, and very strong, for a child," Mokona told her, nesting up next to Yuui on the lounge.

"We should take him back to Clow with us, maybe the High Priest can help him at least learn to use his magic," Syaoran said, and the princess brightened at the thought.

Kurogane was about to agree, thinking that it was the most sensible idea, the mage would be well looked after, and the princess would probably spoil him rotten, which he deserved after his horrendous childhood the first time, but he looked at the sleeping child, and couldn't bring himself to say it, to tell them to take him. He had already lost Fai, lost the chance, the silent hope that had been there that one day something would grow between them, if both of them could ever stop hiding, and he couldn't bring himself to part with the last link he had to _his _mage.

"No, I'll take him back to Nihon with me," he said bluntly.

Sakura looked disappointed for a moment, but then she brightened again.

"I think he would like that, and Tomoyo-hime will adore him," she said.

"Yeah, well as long as she doesn't think she's dressing him, everything will be fine," he growled.

"Speaking of dressing him, perhaps we should. I don't think we should send him through to meet your princess stark naked," Yuuko smiled.

"I suppose, but where are we going to get something even semi traditional for him here?" Kurogane asked.

"I'm sure I have something, I have most things here," she smiled.

"And the price?"

"His clothes from Celes, I don't think he's going to want them any longer anyway," she smiled.

"Fine, whatever, but if we do manage to get him back, and he wants them back, he has to be able to come and bargain for them," Kurogane growled.

"Of course," she acknowledged.

She sent Watanuki to get the clothes, and then looked back at Kurogane.

"One thing you should bear in mind, Kurogane, if you have not returned him to his adult self by the time he is thirteen, you will have to bring him to me to have his markings put back in place. If he returns to his adult self, he can decide for himself if he wants to limit his powers or risk his life, but if he has to grow up again, he will have to be re-marked," she said.

Kurogane grunted, which she chose to take as agreement, and started to dress the drowsy child, who whined slightly at being woken. He thought Yuui looked very odd in the same type of leggings and jerkin that Kurogane had worn as a child, with his pale skin and mass of fair hair.

"Sakura-hime, Syaoran-kun, are you ready to go to Clow?" Yuuko asked.

"Yes," Sakura said, as Syaoran nodded.

"Good, then you will take this with you, it is similar to the crystal Mokona carries. I will also be sending one with Kurogane-san and F…Yuui-chan. If you need to contact me, or when it is time to send me my wedding invitation, this is what you can use," she said, handing Sakura a red, oval crystal.

"Both crystals will connect to Mokona, but they will not connect to each other," she warned.

"Thank you," Sakura said, putting the crystal safely into a pocket on her clothes as Yuuko also handed one to Kurogane.

"Shall we step outside then? I'm sure you are all more than ready to go home," she said.

Back out in the garden, Yuuko hid a smile when Kurogane blushed as Sakura hugged him tightly.

"You take care of yourself, Kuro-daddy, and take care of him too," she whispered.

"Always," he snorted, hugging her back quickly.

"Hey kid, you take care of this princess of yours," he told Syaoran.

"I will, Kurogane-san," he nodded seriously.

Sakura knelt down then, looking at Yuui, who was hanging on to Kurogane's leg and watching wide eyed.

"Good bye, Yuui-chan, I'm sure we'll meet again some day," she said, reaching out slowly and stroking the side of his face gently. She wanted to hug him, but she wasn't sure how he would take that, so she held back.

He cocked his head and looked at her curiously, but made no effort to speak. Sakura smiled sadly, and took Syaoran's hand when he offered it to help her up.

"We're ready," he said.

"Mokona, send them to the palace in Clow please," Yuuko said.

Mokona bounced over and hugged the two tightly, kissing Sakura on the cheek lightly.

"Mokona will miss you."

"We'll miss you too Mokona, but I am sure we will see you again, when it is time for you to bring Yuuko-san to our wedding," she said, making Syaoran blush again.

Mokona giggled and bounced up into the air, opening a portal around Sakura and Syaoran, sending them on their way home. Once the dust had settled, Kurogane picked Yuui up once more, looking at the witch.

"Oi, manjuu, take it easy on the landing for once will you," Kurogane growled, but he tolerated it when Mokona came over and hugged them too.

"I'll miss Kuro-puppy, and Kitty-san," Mokona said sadly.

"Yeah, well I guess it won't be the same for me either, with no-one calling me stupid names," he said gruffly.

"But Mokona will see you again some day, Mokona will remember all the best names for that day," the little creature promised.

"I'm sure you will," he sighed.

Mokona opened another portal, sending them on their way to Kurogane's Nihon, and once the garden fell still once more, it hopped over to rest in Yuuko's arms.

"Will they be all right?" it asked.

"Of course they will, I think we will be getting our wedding invitation within the year from Sakura-chan and Syaoran-kun, and Kurogane-san…well I'm sure he will manage to break the spell Fai…Yuui put on himself, and even if he doesn't, I'm sure that he will be a better role model for the boy than any in his previous life," she sighed, walking back inside the house and closing the door.

/x/

Yukito sighed as he walked into the throne room; some scrolls cradled in his arms, and saw Touya-ou sprawled on his cushions, his head tiled to the side, his dark eyes staring blindly out at the blue sky.

"Toya," he said softly, not wanting to startle his lover.

"They're coming home," Touya said, his voice distant.

"What? I haven't seen their return," he said, surprised.

"They're coming home, now. They have finished their journey," he insisted, finally turning his attention away from the window. Yukito could see his eyes were unfocussed, distant, much like his father's eyes when he had seen something. Yukito found himself wondering, not for the first time if Touya had power his father, or someone else, had seen fit to suppress for some reason. It seemed he sometimes _saw _things too subtle for any other seer in the kingdom to see.

He put his scrolls on the nearby table and sat on the floor at Touya's feet, closing his eyes and concentrating, not even noticing that he ended up leaning against his king's leg. He felt it then, the twist in time and space, so different from, yet similar to, his own dimensional portal.

"I feel them," he said, his eyes popping open as he sat upright again.

"Thank heavens, I was wondering if I was going mad," Touya said, leaping to his feet and pulling Yukito up with him.

They hurried out of the room, heading for where they could feel them arriving.

Sakura and Syaoran looked around as they landed up in the familiar courtyard of the castle in Clow, the castle guards staring at them due to their unorthodox arrival.

"We're home," she whispered.

They heard the sound of running footsteps, and turned to see Touya and Yukito running out of the castle.

"Onii-sama," she yelled, throwing herself into his arms.

"Sakura," he whispered, holding her tightly.

His dark eyes fell on Syaoran, and he frowned.

"You're not the same person," he said.

"That is a long story, your Majesty," he said.

"Then lets get inside, and we can hear all about it," he said, catching Yukito's hand, even as his other arm remained tightly wrapped around his little sister. Yukito rested his free hand on Syaoran's shoulder, and the four of them walked back inside.

/x/

Tomoyo looked up from her needlework as the air seemed to crackle with static electricity, and a portal started to expand in the middle of the room. Setting her work aside, she rose, watching expectantly, smiling gently as Kurogane appeared in front of her, although her eyebrows rose to see him balancing a small blond child on his hip.

"Tomoyo-hime," he said, kneeling and bowing his head without unbalancing his cargo. Yuui watched her curiously as she hurried daintily down the low steps and over to where Kurogane knelt.

"Kurogane, you're home," she said happily.

"Yes," he acknowledged.

"And who is this precious little thing?"

"This is Yuui, you have met him before, but he was somewhat…taller," he sighed.

Her eyes widened in understanding, and she clapped her hands over her mouth.

"Fai-san?" she breathed through her fingers.

"He doesn't like it if you call him that. Yuui, this is Tomoyo-hime,"

"Oh, aren't you darling," she gushed. He looked at her blankly, and then buried his face in Kurogane's cloak.

"We really must get him more appropriately dressed though, those clothes don't suit him at all," she said.

"Tomoyo, he is not a girl, and he is not a doll," he growled warningly.

"Of course not, but still, we must dress him better than this. I promise I will only provide boys clothes, will that satisfy you?" she asked.

"I suspect that is the best I will get. You're not going to let me find clothes for him, are you?" he asked, rolling his eyes.

"Of course not, aside from anything else, I don't think you can get armor that small," she laughed.

The door slid open then, and Soma and two other ninja came in, their swords drawn.

"Hime, are you all right, we heard voices," Soma asked breathlessly.

"Of course I am all right, Kurogane is here with me, I do not think he would allow any harm to come to me," she said teasingly.

"Of course Hime, we will leave you to…wait…Kur…Kurogane?" Soma stuttered, her brain catching up with what the princess had said.

She stepped around so she could see for herself, her jaw dropping.

"It is you. What's with the kid?"

"This is Yuui-chan; he's going to be staying with Kurogane. Will you please have someone make sure Kurogane's room is ready, and have the room directly beside his prepared for Yuui-chan. I assume you will keep him with you for tonight, so that they can get his room properly prepared tomorrow Kurogane?" Tomoyo asked.

"Yes, that would be best anyway, it might help him settle better, it's been quite a day for him," he said dryly.

"Good, then we shall have some tea, and some food, and you can tell me all about your adventures, and how you came to have Yuui-chan with you," she smiled.

/x/

It was early evening by the time he finished filling Tomoyo in on their adventures, and what had happened to the mage this morning, and Yuui had fallen asleep again, and was now sprawled loosely in Kurogane's arms as he walked the corridor to the room that had been his before his journey. He found that he was having a hard time thinking of it as his room. He wasn't terribly surprised to see Soma lurking in the corridor.

"Soma," he said, his voice low.

"Kurogane, it's good to see you back. Not sure about seeing you with a kid though," she snorted.

He glared at her when her voice made Yuui whine and start to wake up, and hushed him back to sleep again.

"Keep your voice down, I don't want him woken," he hissed.

"Aw, is Kurogane a protective father?" she teased.

"Don't. Do not call me a father," he growled softly, he would tolerate it from Sakura, the mage or even the manjuu, although he would rather allow Tomoyo to dress him than admit it to any of them, no one else had earned the right to tease him in that way, only members of their weird and dysfunctional family.

She fell silent in surprise, following him as he walked into his room, and set the child down on the bedroll that had been laid out on the other side of the floor from Kurogane's futon, pulling the blankets over him.

"Did you want something in particular, Soma, or did you just come to tease me? Because it has been a really long day and I could use some sleep myself," he sighed, backing her toward the door.

"I just wanted to see you, and find out about him," she said.

"Well, you've seen me, and you will see me again tomorrow on the practice field. If you want to know about Yuui, go and gossip with Tomoyo, please," he said, sliding the door closed in her face.

Soma stood there, staring at the door for a long moment, and then decided that Kurogane hadn't changed at all while he had been gone, he was still rude and gruff. She turned and walked away, deciding to go and 'gossip with Tomoyo' as he had put it.

Knocking politely on the door of Tomoyo's evening chamber, she waited to be called in before stepping inside.

"Good evening Soma, what can I do for you?" she asked.

"Hime, I just saw Kurogane, and he told me to come and 'gossip' with you, if I wanted to know about the kid he brought back," she said.

"Ah, little Yuui-chan. Come in, I was just about to start working on some suitable clothes for the sweet little thing," she said with a smile.

"How did he come to end up with a child Hime? I teased him about being a protective father, and he got kind of angry with me, told me not to call him a father," she said, sitting when Tomoyo waved her to do so.

"Do not tease him about that child, Soma. You must remember the other adult from the group he was traveling with, I know you didn't spend much time with them, but his companion was distinctive."

"The wizard? Are you saying the child is his? Kurogane wasn't gone that long, and that doesn't explain why he has the boy," she said, watching as the princess's nimble fingers started to sort through her fabrics.

"No, Soma, there was some kind of incident this morning, before they left to return home. Yuui-chan _is _or rather _was _Fai-san."

"I'm confused," Soma admitted.

"I believe Yuui was Fai-san's birth name, I don't know why he changed it, but it seems to upset him to be called Fai now, so Yuui it is," she said, starting to stitch.

"Why did he bring him though? I mean, as far as I can tell, he hasn't changed at all, he's still a moody brat, why does he care about this kid?"

"You think he hasn't changed? Hmm, I think he has more than learned the lesson he was sent to learn, and he has a right to be a little irritable at the moment, someone he cares about has been changed, perhaps irreversibly into a child," Tomoyo smiled.

"You think he and the wizard were…you know?"

"Lovers? No, I do not believe they were lovers, but I do believe that they would have got there eventually, had this not happened. Kurogane will not admit how much he cared for the other, but he will look after the child as best he can because of it, he seems very focused on making sure the little one is happy, but he wouldn't tell me why," she sighed.

"But what is he going to do with the boy? He seems to be planning on going back to his role as ninja; he can't have the kid running around on the practice field with him.

"I'm sure I can keep Yuui-chan occupied while Kurogane trains, he will need training to use his magic."

"You're going to baby sit him?" Soma laughed.

"I am going to teach him, and possibly, if he cannot be returned to himself, you and Kurogane may end up teaching him to fight when he is older," she said.

"You seem to be taking this very well," she said.

"I knew Kurogane would return with a new focus to his heart, Soma. This is not precisely what I expected, but it is not a total surprise."

"If he is not totally focused on protecting you, can he really do his job?"

"He will focus when he is on duty, but I think it best for Kurogane that he has something else to focus on other than that. He will be old before his time otherwise," Tomoyo said serenely.

"But still, I don't see him raising a child," Soma grinned.

"Perhaps he will surprise you, Soma," she smiled.

/x/

Kurogane groaned as he woke up with the feeling of someone poking his shoulder, and opening his eyes, he saw the shadowy figure of Yuui standing beside his futon.

"It's late, you should be sleeping," he groaned.

Yuui sniffled and whined softly, and reaching out to brush his fingers over the boy's face, Kurogane could feel his cheek was wet with tears.

"Bad dreams?" he asked.

Yuui nodded, and Kurogane got hold of his arm, feeling him shaking as he pulled lightly, tugging Yuui into bed with him, and allowing the tiny body to tuck in close to him.

"Its all right, I'm here. Go back to sleep," he said.

Yuui settled quickly, his breathing soon evening out again, and Kurogane watched him for a while. He had hoped that with all of his adult memories gone, the nightmares would have gone too, but it seemed that the mage still didn't sleep well alone.

"I'll protect you mage, however long it takes to figure out how to get you back to yourself, I will protect you," he promised.


	3. Chapter 3

_Kurogane shivered slightly, pulling his black cloak more tightly around himself as he took in the snowy scenery. It was familiar, but not the bitter, biting cold of Celes, another place from their travels. Jade, he decided as he set off along the footpath between the trees that led to the castle. _

"_Kid, princess, mage. Anyone here?" he yelled. _

_His voice echoed flatly back to him, making him shiver again, it didn't feel like there was another living thing for miles, but glancing down at the path, he realized that he was following footprints in the snow. _

"_Is anyone here?" he yelled again, but still there was nothing more than the flat echo in reply. _

_The footprints stopped at the edge of the tree line, just before the swollen, raging river, and he frowned, casting around to see where they went. Whoever it was, they couldn't have vanished into thin air, could they? His eyes caught something white in a tree that wasn't snow. The mage's stupid fluffy coat, he realized, but he didn't know how it could have got here, the witch had taken it, hadn't she? There was no sign of the mage with the coat, and with a growl he turned again. _

"_Damn it mage, where the hell are you?" he yelled. _

_There was still nothing, but he noticed that the footprints that had previously stopped at the edge of the tree line now reached the water's edge. Following them once more, he looked down, and his chest felt colder than the air around him. _

_Fai lay there, under the fast flowing water, his hair and white tailcoat floating gently, as if he reclined in a pool, not under rushing water. His eyes were closed, and his hands were folded over his chest. He looked peaceful to Kurogane, so very peaceful._

"_Fai, no," he gasped, shucking his cloak and diving into the icy water without a thought, making himself keep his eyes open, he battled the current that fought to sweep him away from the peaceful sanctuary that held his mage._

_Breaking through finally, his lungs burning, demanding air, he wrapped his arms around the ethereal figure, kicking for the surface. Getting out of the haven seemed to be even more difficult than getting in, and sparks were starting to dance at the edge of his vision. A little voice in his head told him that he would get out very easily, that he wouldn't drown, if he would only let go of Fai, leave him to rest here and swim for the surface alone. Kurogane raged at the voice and kicked harder, breaking free, casting them both into the swirling maelstrom of the river, hanging onto his burden tightly as the water threatened to part them, he finally managed to break the surface, gasping greedily for air even as he tilted Fai's head up to get his face clear of the water. _

_A low hanging branch allowed him to pull them out of the river well downstream of the castle; it was probably miles away now. He dropped Fai unceremoniously on the bank and flopped down gracelessly beside him, still gasping, spent, and he barely even noticed as darkness crashed over his mind. _

/x/

Kurogane woke with a start as the first strains of sunlight shone through the window and into his eyes. He was cold, feeling as if he really had been swimming in an icy river, and he found himself reaching out to reassure himself that Yuui was safe and warm, curled up against his chest like a kitten. The boy was sleeping peacefully, one thumb in his mouth, his other hand curled under his cheek. He snuffled softly as Kurogane moved, and rolled away from the disturbance, coming to rest face down on the other side of the bed, tiny fists now curled in the bedding. Kurogane relaxed slightly, it had just been a seriously weird dream, that was all, Yuui was safe, and he most definitely hadn't been for a swim in an ice cold river, trying to fish out a mannequin like mage.

Kurogane got up, going to start getting ready to face the day. He wanted to be washed and dressed before he woke Yuui up, so that he only had to worry about getting the boy ready. Sliding his door open, he almost tripped over a basket which had obviously been leaning against the door, because it now neatly blocked the exit.

He picked the basket up and flipped open the lid cautiously, sighing when he saw colored silks inside, Tomoyo had been busy then, he realized, setting the basket aside, he didn't want to see what she might consider to be suitable clothing for the little mage just yet, not until his head was clear. He glanced back over his shoulder once, checking that Yuui was still sleeping deeply, and hurried out to wash.

His charge was just starting to wake when he came back into the room, his hair now standing up in damp, disarrayed dark spikes where he had dried it roughly. He pulled his armor on and combed his fingers through his hair to get any knots out, before moving to sit on the edge of the futon.

"Oi, time to get up Yuui," he called.

The boy sat, rubbing his eyes, and Kurogane winced at how tangled that mass of blond hair looked. That was going to have to go; it was completely impractical, he decided.

"Come on, up you get, we need to get you a bath and a haircut," he said, holding out his hand to the child.

Yuui took the offered hand, getting up and padding silently on bare feet at his side as he led him to the door. He paused long enough to reach into the basket of silks Tomoyo had sent and pull something out without looking, and then led him out into the long stone corridor. There were soldiers, men of the guard and several other ninja in the corridor, and some of them snickered at the sight of fearsome Kurogane leading the tiny, feminine blond child by the hand. Kurogane glared at them, sending them scuttling, and looked down at Yuui, who had pressed closer to his leg as they walked under the scrutiny.

"They're just curious, and amused, they won't hurt you," he said.

Yuui dropped his head further, hiding behind the tangled curtain of hair, and Kurogane growled softly and picked him up, tucking him under one arm like a parcel, which got him a startled squeak and a genuine giggle from the boy as he viewed the passing floor, and Kurogane's long, striding legs from this very bizarre perspective.

Reaching the bath house, he set him down again, leading him into the men's section and starting to get him out of the jerkin and leggings he was still wearing.

"Oi, you can't bring a girl in here," a voice yelled from one of the big, steaming tubs that were already in use.

Kurogane glanced over coldly, looking for who had spoken. It was a young man, obviously fairly new, because Kurogane didn't recognize him at all, he looked outraged and self important, while most of the other men who where there, the ones who knew Kurogane, looked wary or plain and simple pretended not to see or hear anything.

"One, he is a boy, and two, who the hell do you think you are to tell _me _what to do?" his voice was icy, lethal.

"I'm Tengu, I am one of the best of the palace ninja," the boy said pompously.

"Really, well we will have to see about that," Kurogane said with a shark like smile, drawing his knife, and satisfied to see many of the men flinch at the action.

He ignored them for the moment, turning his attention back to Yuui, who was watching the blade with wide, wary blue eyes.

"Turn around, I'm going to cut your hair," he said.

Yuui didn't look at all sure about turning his back on someone with a knife, not even Kurogane.

"It's just me, and I'll be quick, I promise, turn around."

Yuui turned slowly, reluctantly presenting his back, and Kurogane gathered the long hair up in one hand, calloused fingers gentle on the child's scalp and neck as he made sure he hadn't missed any stray locks. Once he had gathered the hair into one tail, he sheared through it in one smooth motion with the sharp blade.

"Done," he said.

Yuui turned back again, fingering the now collar length hair and staring at the hank that Kurogane held in his hand.

"Come on, we need to get you into the tub now," he said, putting the hair aside and finishing getting the boy undressed.

"Hey, don't you ignore me," Tengu said angrily.

One of the other men lost patience with him and jabbed him in the arm.

"Tengu, you had better hope he keeps ignoring you, or better yet, forgets you exist. Kurogane isn't exactly forgiving," the older man hissed.

Kurogane hid a smirk, ignoring all of them as he lifted Yuui into one of the tubs that wasn't in use. The water came up to the child's chin as he stood there, and he grinned, pulling him toward the side.

"There's a bench here," he said.

Yuui sat up on the bench, allowing Kurogane to rub soap into his hair, scrubbing it through.

Once he had him clean, he lifted him out and toweled him roughly, and opened up the silk thing he had picked up. Tomoyo had kept her promise, he was surprised to see, it was a pale blue silk boy's kimono, with a simple pattern of waves in slightly darker blue at the bottom. Once he had him dressed, he picked up the other clothes, and glanced at Tengu.

"See you on the practice field in an hour, Tengu-kohai," he said with a chilly grin, before leading Yuui out of the room.

/x/

"Kurogane, his hair," Tomoyo protested when he arrived in her day chamber with a freshly fed and watered Yuui forty five minutes later.

"It was too long before, it looks much more sensible now," he said.

She rolled her eyes at him, and cast her eye over what the child was wearing.

"Well, the clothing certainly suits him better than what he arrived in anyway," she sighed.

He rolled his eyes right back at her, and knelt to look Yuui in the eye.

"Yuui, I'm going to leave you with Tomoyo-hime for a little while, I have to go and practice. Tomoyo-hime is going to be teaching you some magic. I want you to behave very well for her, do you understand?" he asked.

He got a tiny, hesitant nod, and pushed the boy gently in the direction of the princess, setting him in motion. Tomoyo smiled gently and patted a cushion beside her.

"Come on, sit down, Yuui-chan," she said.

Kurogane left them to it, closing the door behind him as he headed off in the direction of the practice field, his hand resting lightly on Souhi's hilt. He was rather looking forward to this.

When he reached the field, Tengu was sparring with one of the older ninja, their swords crashing in the still air. They stopped when he arrived, and Tengu paled slightly. Kurogane wondered what he had been told about him, and by whom.

"So, Tengu-kohai, you're one of the best of the new ninja. Why don't you show me what you've got," he smirked.

"Hai, Kurogane-san," he said, more respect in his voice now.

The younger man swung his sword, and Kurogane parried easily, quickly bringing his blade round for a strike of his own, noting that Tengu's parry was a shade slow on his left. He had to admit that the youth wasn't a _bad _swordsman, despite his weak defense to the left, but he was no match for Kurogane, and the short battle was brought to an end when Kurogane put him off balance with a fast flurry of strikes, and hooked his feet out from under him with a quick sweep of his leg, leaving Tengu lying flat on his back and panting, Souhi's point pressed to his throat.

"Yield?" Kurogane queried.

"I yield," Tengu confirmed, releasing the hilt of his sword and turning his empty hands palm up.

"You're an adequate swordsman, but your defense is lacking on your left," he grunted, sheathing his sword and allowing Tengu to get to his feet.

Several of the others murmured softly, knowing that from Kurogane, adequate was practically a glowing compliment. Tengu bowed slightly in acknowledgement of his words.

"I will work on that, Kurogane-san," he said.

"Nice to see your own skills have not gotten rusty in all the time you've been away, Kurogane," Soma said from behind him.

"As if I had the opportunity to become rusty, Soma," he said, turning to face her with his arms folded.

"Yes, Tomoyo-hime shared some of the stories you told her, last night while we were 'gossiping'," she said.

"I assume it's you I have to thank for the placement of the basket that was left outside the door this morning then," he said.

"Yes," she said with a shrug.

"If Yuui had been the first one out of the door this morning, he could have tripped over it and hurt himself," he pointed out.

She snorted and rolled her eyes at him, shaking her head.

"I'm sure he would have seen it, as he's barely two feet tall," she said.

He glared at her, and then turned and walked away.

"Are we training or not?" he called back over his shoulder.

/x/

They were almost done training when Tomoyo and Yuui wandered down to the practice field.

"Hime," most of the men chorused, lowering their swords and kneeling.

"Oh, don't let me interrupt you," she said.

"We're done," Kurogane said, sheathing Souhi again and dismissing the men, before walking over to them.

"Are you done for the day already?" he asked, crouching to ruffle Yuui's hair.

"Yuui-chan was restless, and he was having trouble with the spells, because most of them have a spoken element," she said.

"I don't recall him speaking any of the spells I ever saw him do, he whistled a couple, but his magic was kind of written in the air," he said.

"Hmm, I shall have to think about that then," she said.

"So can I have him back now?" he asked.

"Of course you can. What are you going to do now?"

"I'm going to saddle up a horse, I think, take him for a ride outside the walls," he said.

She nodded and smiled.

"I shall leave you to it then," she said, walking back up to the palace.

"Did you behave for the princess?" Kurogane asked.

Yuui nodded, cuddling up to him when he picked him up and rested him on his hip.

"Good boy," he said, heading back for his room to find the jerkin and leggings from yesterday, which were more suitable for riding than the kimono.

/x/

Kurogane was almost surprised to see his favorite horse was still in the stables, and he definitely seemed to remember him, butting his heavy head into Kurogane's shoulder.

"Hello Tachi," he said, rubbing the black horse's head gently.

He left Yuui sitting on a bale of hay, watching as he brushed the horse down and saddled him. He lifted Yuui up, sitting him astride the broad shoulders, in front of the saddle, he was so light that Tachi would never even notice his weight there, and he balanced the boy with one hand as he led the horse out of the stables. Mounting up behind him, he cantered to the gate in the west wall, exiting the palace without needing to ride through town, he wouldn't mind most days, but if he recalled correctly, this would be market day, and the crowds of shoppers were a pain to ride through. He felt Yuui settle back against him as they cantered out along the dusty road that was bordered by fields of waving corn.

Kurogane felt himself relaxing slightly, breathing in the familiar air as they road. He had almost forgotten how much he loved the countryside around the town, how beautiful and peaceful it was. He turned Tachi to the left when they reached a crossroads, heading for the lake that had always been one of his favorite places from almost as soon as Tomoyo had brought him from Suwa, he hoped Yuui would love it as much as he did, and found himself wondering if the kid could actually swim. He was fairly sure he had seen the mage swim at least once during their travels, but he had never bothered to ask him where or when he had learned, and surely living much of his life in a frozen wasteland like Celes, there wouldn't have been much of an opportunity to learn.

He was lifting Yuui down from the horse at the lake when he remembered a fairly obvious thing; Ashura had been in a deep pool, inside the Celes palace. Fai must have swum, when he imprisoned him there, and the pool looked like it had been there for a long time. Was that where his mage had learned to swim, in that pool, under the eyes of his mad king?

Kurogane shuddered and brushed the thought aside, he didn't want to think about Ashura. He decided on a simple way of finding out what he wanted to know.

"Hey, Yuui. Can you swim?" he asked, setting the child down on the grass.

Yuui shook his head, and Kurogane smiled.

"Do you want to learn?" he asked, waving one hand at the lake.

Yuui grinned, a bright, honest smile that made his eyes sparkle, and the blond head nodded. Kurogane smiled and stripped down to his undergarments, looking forward to a peaceful afternoon of teaching his mini mage to swim.


	4. Chapter 4

Kurogane watched the little blond dog-paddling under his own steam and felt an odd sense of pride, this was the first time he had ever taught anyone anything other than sword work, and it felt good. Casting a glance at the sky, he sighed, it was starting to cloud over, and the air was turning chilly.

"Yuui, come on. We have to get out now, it's going to rain," he said.

Yuui paddled to him, his face alight with pleasure, and Kurogane chivvied him out, getting him dressed as fast as he could when the skinny frame started to shiver. Once they were both dressed, he lifted Yuui back up onto Tachi's shoulders and mounted behind him. The breeze picked up, and Yuui shuddered harder, so Kurogane draped his cloak forward, wrapping the ends around Yuui to protect him from the breeze and turned the horse toward the palace once more, feeling Yuui snuggle happily into the warmth he offered.

Even with the chill in the air, and the spots of rain that started falling, Yuui obviously loved the outing, so Kurogane decided to head back through the town, the market would be quieter now, and high up on horseback, the people who were there wouldn't freak him out. Yuui watched the bustle of the market wide eyed, breathing in the smell of the spices, and of food cooking on some of the stalls. Realizing that they hadn't eaten since breakfast, and dinner was still over an hour away, Kurogane bought a couple of apples, and they ate them as they rode through the market and into the palace grounds, turning Tachi back in the direction of the stables.

/x/

Yuui's room was ready when they retuned after dinner, and more clothes seemed to have appeared, all in quite pale colors to suit the pale little mage. He got him changed into a night shirt and tucked him into bed on the futon, stroking through his blond hair lightly.

"Did you have a good time today?" he asked.

Yuui nodded sleepily, and Kurogane smiled faintly.

"Did you like Tomoyo-hime?"

Another sleepy nod, coupled with a sweet smile.

"I'm glad, you're going to be spending time with her most days, while I am doing my duty," he said.

He ruffled the boy's hair, gently pressing his hand over the blue eyes, and feeling the soft lashes brush against his palm as he automatically closed them.

"Go to sleep Yuui, I'm just next door if you have a bad dream again," he said.

Yuui settled comfortably, his breathing slowing quickly because he was tired out.

Once he was sure Yuui was fast asleep, Kurogane went back to his own room, settling down to polish his sword and armor for the morning, before leaning back on his bed with his Manga to read. The book fell from his hand as he drifted off to sleep himself.

/x/

_They weren't in Jade anymore, he was standing in a thick forest, a clearing ahead of him, and looking through the trees, he could see Fai lying on the platform where the bizarre little rabbit creatures had been about to burn Syaoran to appease their 'monster'. The creatures were scuttling around, about their business, whatever the hell that was, seeming completely unaware of the white clad blond lying in the middle of their clearing, or the black clad ninja who strode straight through the middle of their village. Kurogane looked down at Fai, he was lying peacefully, his hands folded over his stomach, the only difference to the river being the lack of water. He leaned over to scoop him up, intending to get him away from this freaky place, and the whirlwind descended, enclosing them. _

_They were in the eye of the wind, it was pressing in on all sides, buffeting them, and he staggered, fighting to keep his grip on the mage. _

_The same little voice he had heard in that river started to whisper in his mind, telling him to leave the mage behind, that if he left the mage, he could walk away safely, but this time he thought he recognized the voice, although he didn't think he had ever heard it quite that quiet. _

"_I'm not leaving you behind, Fai," he growled, glaring down at the still form he held. _

_The wind died away, and Kurogane found himself alone with the still, silent form of the mage, even the rabbit things had vanished. _

"_Damn it mage, I wish I understood what the hell was going on here," he complained._

_Everything started to fade into darkness then, Fai's form becoming insubstantial in his arms. _

/x/

Kurogane woke, completely unsure what had disturbed him, it was still dark outside, and he didn't think he had been asleep for more than an hour. He tossed the Manga onto the table near the bed as he sat up, listening hard. He heard a sob then, the sound of crying from the next room.

He opened the door of his room, hearing the crying get louder, and quickly opened the door to Yuui's room, finding the distressed child crumpled on the floor in front of the door. Kurogane felt his heart twist as he realized that Yuui hadn't been able to get the door open, that he wasn't strong enough to slide it back.

"Shh, I'm here, I'm sorry, I'm here," he said, quickly lifting him off the floor.

Yuui clung like a limpet, burying his face in Kurogane's shoulder, and Kurogane held him tightly, rocking him slightly.

"It's all right, I'm here now," he said, carrying him out of the room.

He walked along the corridor to the balcony at the end, sitting on the railing and settling the still crying child so that he was sitting in his lap.

"Yuui, look at me," he said, trying to get the boy to lift his head.

Yuui finally looked up, and he saw that his eyes were red, and his cheeks were flushed.

"Did you have another bad dream?" he asked.

Yuui nodded, and Kurogane sighed, using his thumb to brush tears away from the sore looking eyes, and gathered him close again, tucking the little blond head under his chin. He was going to have to find some way to make sure Yuui didn't get trapped like that again. He heard a soft footstep and glanced at the archway he had come out of, not much surprised to see Soma.

"What happened? Some of the men were complaining that they heard him crying," she said.

"And it didn't occur to any one of them to get me? I'd fallen asleep; he had a nightmare and was trapped in his room because he couldn't get the door open. So instead of doing anything useful, they ran and whined to you," he said in annoyance.

"Oh, come on Kurogane, you know as well as I do that you would have done the same thing, before your little trip. If you had heard a kid crying in the guards' quarters, you would have complained about it too. If it had been any kid other than that one, you probably still would," she sighed, sitting on the other corner of the railing.

"You're wrong," he said sharply, feeling Yuui flinch a little at the tone of his voice, he rubbed his back soothingly.

"I may have always been a cold bastard Soma, but even I cared about children," he said, getting up and walking away, cradling Yuui easily.

He went back to his room, sitting down on the futon and lowering Yuui to lie on the mattress, and pulling the covers over him.

"Go back to sleep, it's ok, I'm right here now," he said.

He watched as the tiny mage slowly obeyed, tired, puffy blue eyes fluttering open again periodically, checking he was still beside him, and in the end he lay down, pulling the boy closer.

"Go to sleep," he chided.

Finally losing the battle with tiredness, Yuui gave up, falling asleep, and Kurogane lay propped on one elbow, simply watching him.

/x/

They settled into a routine of sorts over the next week, Kurogane had had one of the panels between his room and Yuui's taken out and replaced with another door, which was left slid back just enough for Yuui to get through if he had a bad dream, while still allowing them both their privacy. Yuui spent the mornings with Tomoyo while Kurogane trained, and the afternoons with Kurogane, exploring the palace, the grounds, and the surrounding countryside, depending on the weather. The other soldiers and ninja got used to seeing Kurogane with his silent little blond shadow, and Kurogane got used to the strange little dreams of the mage.

The dreams all seemed to have been very much the same, the mage unconscious, peaceful, in various worlds they had visited, although since the whirlwind dream, nothing had happened to try to drive Kurogane away, Fai was just silent, unresponsive. He did wonder why his dreams were making him see Fai this way, he had often dreamed of him being quiet, while they were traveling to get the princess's feathers, but the combination of Fai's doll impersonation in his dreams, and Yuui's silence was starting to get a little creepy.

"Why won't you talk?" he whispered softly to the sleeping child who had once again ended up with him at some point during the night.

It wasn't as if he was incapable of talking, his adult self had talked incessantly, even if he had very rarely _said _anything, and Yuui was capable of making sounds, he giggled, and he had shrieked on occasion, but he made no effort to talk. He couldn't even think it was because the child couldn't understand the language here, because he would respond to instructions, or answer yes or no questions with a nod or shake of his head, which made Kurogane suspect the crystal the witch had given them was acting as a translator in place of Mokona, he just wouldn't or couldn't talk.

"Yuui, time to get up," he said finally, shaking the child awake.

/x/

He heard soft footsteps behind him later that afternoon, while he watched Yuui in the gardens, playing with the peacocks. The normally skittish birds didn't seem to mind the child's presence at all, walking around him as if he were one of them, or standing still and allowing him to gently explore their colorful tails.

"Tomoyo," he said without turning.

"One of these days, I will manage to creep up on you, Kurogane," she giggled.

"That will be the day I am no longer fit to serve as your ninja," he said with quiet seriousness. If anyone could manage to creep up on him, then his senses were too dull to allow him to do the job effectively.

"And you as ever are far too serious," she sighed, seating herself delicately on the grass and following his gaze.

"You have been looking worried these last few days," she said.

"Have I?"

"Yes. If you are concerned about your ability to raise him well…"

"No, not that. I'm…I don't understand why he doesn't talk," he said.

"I'm sure he will, when he feels more settled. I dare say this has all been a great trauma to him," she said.

"No, I think it's more than that. Why is his magic written? That mad bastard king who raised him, he was many things, but stupid never seemed to be one of them, there was a reason for everything he did, even if it wasn't immediately obvious. Why would he teach the mage magic that you could stop him using by the simple solution of tying his hands securely? I wish…"

"What, Kurogane?" she prodded.

"I wish that I had been able to get Fai to open up more, before and after the encounter with Ashura, I wish I had given him more reason to trust me," he sighed.

"He does trust you, he clings to you," she said.

"He's a child," he pointed out.

"No, Kurogane, whatever Yuuko-san might have said, some part of Fai is still present, deeply buried, sleeping perhaps, but still there. A child that young, he would have more likely been drawn to the peaceful aura of Sakura-chan, or possibly me, and while he does seem to like me, it is _you _he clings to, _you _he wants when he is distressed," she insisted.

"Sleeping?" he whispered.

"What is it Kurogane?"

"Ever since the first night, I've been dreaming about Fai. Twice he was behind defenses of some sort, and I retrieved him, but always, he's sleeping," he said.

"Then perhaps you should seek to wake him in your dreams, it might be a step in the direction you want to go,"

"And what happens to Yuui if I do that? What if the mage is sleeping for a reason? I don't want to do anything to hurt that boy, he has been through quite enough," he growled.

"That is a risk only you can decide if you want to take or not, if Fai is sleeping, and no one else is seeing him, then it is you his mind has formed a bond to," she said, rising and walking away.

Kurogane didn't watch her go, not taking his attention off Yuui. He wanted his mage back, but he wasn't willing to hurt this innocent child to get him. If he could be sure that waking his dream Fai up would instantly break the spell, he would do it without hesitation, but without that certainty…no.

"Tomoyo," he called, turning.

She stopped walking, and turned to look back at him, one eyebrow going up in question, but then she smiled.

"You must follow where your heart leads, Kurogane," she said, leaving.

Kurogane turned back to watch Yuui playing with the birds again, and he knew his decision was made, as long as it was do-able, and the price wasn't too high.

/x/

As soon as Yuui was safely asleep that night, Kurogane rummaged out the crystal that the witch had given them before sending them home, holding it in his palm and staring at it for a long moment, aware on a deep level that if he spoke to the Dimension bitch here, there would be no going back. He activated the crystal before he could change his mind.

Yuuko had her back to him in the hologram, looking in the mirror on the wall behind her.

"What is it Mokona, is Sakura-chan calling?" she asked, turning.

"Kurogane," she said, _seeming _to be genuinely surprised, but you could never tell with her.

"I need to ask you something," he said.

"I'm listening."

"I want to know if it's possible to turn me into a kid," he said bluntly.

/x/x/x/x/x/x/x/x/x/

So, did anyone expect that? g

Will Yuuko grant his wish; will the price be too high? Will our two favorite boys be three feet tall for the next few years, or will they both grow up again? For the answers too all of these questions and more, stay tuned ;)


	5. Chapter 5

Kurogane saw Yuuko blink once, hard, and forcibly hid a smirk at the realization that for once, he had succeeded in shocking the witch.

"Why would you want to do that? I thought you were happy with the current arrangement. If you cannot handle him after all, then I am sure Sakura-chan would still happily take him to Clow, and it would certainly be less extreme than changing yourself in that way," she said.

"I didn't say I couldn't handle him, I didn't say I wanted rid of him, and I didn't say I was unhappy, as such. I asked if it was possible, if it could be done," he growled impatiently.

"Well, of course it can be done, but are you sure…"

"What would the price be?" he demanded.

She stared at him for a long moment, and then sighed, knowing he was serious about this question.

"That would depend on _precisely _what you wished for, you would have to be very careful, and very specific Kurogane. Take 24 hours to think about what you are asking, and contact me again at this time tomorrow, if you really want to go ahead with it," she suggested.

"I want to still be older than him, only by a couple of years, but old enough to watch over him. I want to remember him, and that he means something to me, that I have a reason to protect him, even if I don't know what that reason is, and…I want it tied into his spell, if he or someone else manages to break his spell, I want to return to my proper age with him," he said, proving to her that he had already put a great deal of thought into it, consciously or not.

"You don't want much, do you?" she asked with some sarcasm, sinking gracefully and thoughtfully into a chair, studying the face in the hologram before her.

"Can you do it?" he asked impatiently.

"You are really asking for two things there, at the very least, the age reversal, and a memory modification, that will be two prices," she pointed out.

"Cut to the chase," he growled.

She stared at him for another long moment, weighing him up.

"You were in love with him, weren't you?" she sighed.

He didn't answer, but his gaze dropped to the side for a moment, which told her what she needed to know. She almost pointed out that if he had told Fai that some time before the end of their journey, this whole mess could probably have been avoided, but held her tongue, that would be cruel even for her, and it was hard to see what was in front of you until it was taken away sometimes, he may not have even realized this truth until it was far too late.

"Fine, the first price, for the memory modifications, you will have to leave Nihon, and never return. That world will be closed to you for eternity. Even if Fai returns to himself, he will not be permitted to transport the two of you there," she said, pausing to see if the first price would sway his resolve.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, but his eyes and voice were steady when he returned his attention to her a moment later.

"And the other price?"

"The price for the age reversal and tying everything into Yuui's spell, all of your memories of Nihon from your ninth birthday onwards. That is just before your parents died, is it not? If you return to adulthood, not the long way, but by your spells being lifted, you will know you grew up there, but all of the feeling, the emotions, and the color from the memories will be gone, it will be no more important to you than any other world you passed through on your travels. The only thing I will permit you to retain is your training, as that is a skill that may one day be of use where you end up from here," she said, eyeing him steadily.

"Now would you like the 24 hours to think about it?" she asked.

"No. How do I get to you?" he asked, his mind long since made up.

"You can ask Tomoyo-hime to send the pair of you to me tomorrow, there is much I must prepare for if we are to do this, and I suppose you will want to say your farewells, and explain to Yuui what is going to happen, if you can," she said, tapping her lip.

"If you change your mind, I will understand, Kurogane, and you can let me know at any time before she transports you to me," she said, rising from the chair again.

"I am not going to be changing my mind. I do have one other question," he said.

"Go ahead,"

"If we are not to be allowed to remain here, are we supposed to remain in your world?" he asked.

"I do not think you would like that, Kurogane, and I know he wouldn't. I will give it some thought," she said.

The stone went dark again before he could say anything else, not even giving him the chance to say goodbye, if he were so inclined. He sighed, setting it aside and scrubbing his hands through his hair, wondering for a long moment if he was insane. He was giving up everything, everything that had shaped him, everything he knew, and everything he was, for an uncertain future somewhere completely unfamiliar to him.

He heard Yuui whimper in the next room, and his resolve stiffened again, his future would be no more uncertain than Yuui's, they would at least be in it together, and even if they did both have to grow up again, the long way, as the witch had put it, then there was still a chance that their feelings would flourish again, it had happened for Sakura and Syaoran after all, and that would never happen, if things remained as they were now. He was twenty years older than Yuui, and he didn't want to be a father figure to him. He got up and walked through to the other room, quietly soothing Yuui's nightmare without waking him, before returning to his own room, sitting on the bed once more. He had preparations to make.

/x/

He wasn't surprised to see Tomoyo waiting for him the next morning when he went looking for her, carrying a still drowsy Yuui on his hip.

"The witch spoke to you, didn't she?" he growled.

"She wanted to be sure you were not acting rashly. You may not believe it, Kurogane, but she did come to care for all of you," Tomoyo said with a gentle smile.

"If you say so," he snorted, "what did you tell her?"

"That you were not being rash, that you had been thinking about it for several days," she said, looking at him out of the corner of her eye.

"I only thought about it yesterday," he pointed out.

"If you say so," she echoed back at him.

"So, can you send us to her, Yuui and me?" he asked, not bothering to get into an argument with her about how long the idea had been on his mind. He would lose anyway, whether he was right or not.

"I can, and I will. You have until noon, to say any goodbyes you want to say, and to gather anything you want to take with you," she said.

"Thank you," he said, a little surprised. He hadn't expected it to be that easy.

"I will also remove your curse, before I send you on your way, as this will be the last opportunity I have to do so," she offered.

He shifted uncomfortably, and looked down at the blond head resting on his shoulder.

"Fai did that, two or three worlds before the end, he didn't want me going into battle with Fei Wong Reed and his minions with the curse still on me," he admitted.

She laughed, a truly amused, tinkling sound, and looked at the child herself.

"Now I truly wish I had been given the chance to know your mage better," she said lightly.

"Me too," he agreed.

"Go now, Kurogane, you have much to do before noon, and Yuui looks hungry," she said softly.

"Thank you, Tomoyo, for this, and everything else too," he said quietly before slipping out of the room.

Tomoyo watched them go, dashing a single tear away. Sending Kurogane away this time was going to be far harder than before, then, she had known he would return, this time, he was leaving by his own choice, and there would be no returning for her favorite ninja, or the child she was just growing used to having around.

"Hime, are you all right, I just saw Kurogane leaving here, he looked upset, and I find you looking upset too," Soma asked respectfully, slipping into the room.

"Yes Soma, I am all right. Make sure you see Kurogane this morning, will you, he needs to talk to you, but I am not so sure he will seek you out. Perhaps you can catch him in his or Yuui's room, after he has given the little one his breakfast," she suggested.

"Hime?"

"It is not for me to tell you, Soma, just, make sure you see him, please," Tomoyo sighed.

"Of course, anything you command," Soma agreed, bowing despite being confused. She didn't see any point in seeking out Kurogane this morning, when they would have a patrol together later this afternoon, but her princess had ordered it, so she would obey.

/x/

Soma found the door to Kurogane's room standing open when she arrived there a couple of hours later, and her eyes widened when she glanced inside.

"You're packing," she said blankly.

"Yes, there are things I do not wish to leave behind, things I have had since I was a child, things of my parents," he said without looking at her.

"Leave behind? You're going away again?" she asked.

"Yes," he said.

"For how long, what's going to happen to the kid?" she asked.

"For good, Yuui and I are not going to be returning," he half shrugged, putting the last of his weapons into his pack.

"Why?"

"Because it's better this way, better for Yuui, and better for me," he said.

"You're running away?"

"No, Soma, I'm not running away from anything, I'm running toward the chance of a future for both of us," he said, closing the pack and finally turning to look at her.

"We need you here," she said.

"No you don't Soma, you managed without me for two years, very well in fact from what I have seen. You don't need me, and he does, he always has, and he matters more."

He shouldered the pack, and she followed him as he went through the half open door into the adjoining room. Yuui was sitting on the window seat, looking out over the gardens, another smaller pack with the clothes Tomoyo had made for him sitting on the floor where Kurogane had left it.

"We're ready to go, Yuui," he said softly.

The boy turned, looking at them, and slid off the seat walking over to take Kurogane's free hand when the ninja had picked up his pack.

"Where are you going?" Soma finally asked as they approached the garden where Tomoyo was waiting for Kurogane and Yuui.

"I have no idea," he said with a faint smirk.

"What? Kurogane…"

"This is the way it has to be Soma, this is for the best. I wish I could say I was going to miss you, but I won't remember you or anyone else here, in a little while. It has been an honor serving with you though, mostly," he said.

"Good luck Kurogane, it sounds like you're going to need it," she sighed, peeling off and leaving him to continue on to where Tomoyo-hime waited.

Tomoyo looked at them as the two of them came into the garden.

"Are you ready, Kurogane? Are you sure this is what you want for Yuui and yourself?" she asked.

"We're ready, and I'm sure," he said firmly.

"Then stand over there," she said, gesturing to a clear spot in the garden.

He moved to stand where she had indicated; picking Yuui up once more, the two packs now slung over one shoulder. He tucked Yuui in close as the red portal began to twirl and spin around them once more, pressing the child's face into his cloak as the portal started to pull them in.

"Thank you," he said once more as the portal closed around them, spiriting them away from Nihon forever.

Tomoyo stared at the spot where they had been until the last of the leaves disturbed by her portal settled, and then silently turned and walked away.

/x/

Yuuko was waiting outside when the portal deposited Kurogane and Yuui in the garden.

"You haven't changed your mind then?" she asked.

"Of course not," he snorted.

"Did you manage to explain to Yuui what was going to be happening?"

"Yes."

"Fine, Watanuki, take little Yuui up onto the porch out of the way please," she said.

Watanuki was silent for once as he lifted the small child out of Kurogane's arms and took the packs too, walking up onto the porch and sitting down to watch.

"The packs?" she asked curiously.

"His clothing that Tomoyo-hime made him, my weapons, and some things my parents gave me when I was a child. Nothing from after the date you said I would be giving up my memories from," he said, understanding what she was asking.

"Good, are you prepared?"

"Did you find somewhere to send us, after this is done?" he asked.

"I did."

"Where?"

"Does that really matter?" she asked blandly.

"I suppose not, really. I'm ready," he said closing his eyes.

He felt a cool hand press against his forehead, and a wave seemed to pass through his mind, washing everything away in front of it, reshaping what was left behind, even as he felt the tug of magic reshaping his body, and then everything was darkness.

/x/

_He stepped into the café, growling softly at the irritatingly cheerful jangling of the bells over the door. Looking around, he was surprised there were no customers in the place, the idiot mage's sweet concoctions had made this place almost instantly popular, and it was rare that the café was quiet if it was open. He glanced over at the counter, and saw no sign of any of the others. _

"_Oi, where are you lot, you've left the door unlocked and the café unattended," he barked, looking around again. _

"_Tch, so loud Kuro-chan," the mage's light, amused voice chided. _

"_Ku-ro-GA-NE," he snarled, stomping over to where the mage sat on the piano stool, silently fingering the keys. _

"_Where did you appear from, you weren't here a second ago, and where are the others?" he demanded. _

"_There's only us here, Kuro-puppy, just us," Fai said softly, looking up at the ninja through hooded, shadowed eyes. _

"_What have you done, Kuro-chii? You shouldn't be here," he whispered sadly. _

"_Where else would I be, idiot mage? It's not as if I can go anywhere until we find the feather and the manjuu moves us somewhere else." _

"_There is no Mokona here, Kuro-puu, no Mokona, no Syaoran-kun, and no Sakura-chan, just us," Fai said. _

"_We're trapped here, they left without us?" he asked. _

"_You are not supposed to be here at all," Fai said again._

_Kurogane blinked, something shifting in his mind then, and he sat on the piano stool beside Fai. _

"_I was looking for you," he said softly. _

"_Well, you've found me, and you're stuck with me, because I have no idea how we can get out of here," Fai said, turning back to the keyboard._

/x/

"He's coming round," a soft voice said.

Kurogane frowned slightly, trying to figure out what was going on around him, he thought he had been having a dream, but he couldn't remember what it was, and his head felt fuzzy.

"Oh good, I was getting worried, and poor Yuui-chan has been so upset," a light feminine voice said.

"Yuui," he groaned, forcing his eyes open. Yuui was special to him he couldn't allow him to be upset, that thought was clear as a bell in his mind as the rest of his thoughts started to settle.

A familiar looking woman sat on the edge of the bed where he had been lying, watching him through concerned green eyes, and a grey haired young man stood behind her, amber eyes hidden behind glasses. Yuui had been sitting huddled at the foot of the bed, and as soon as he saw Kurogane start to sit up, he hurled himself at him, sobbing as he knocked him flat again. He wrapped his arms tightly around Yuui, clinging to him as he eyed the woman again.

"Sakura-hime?" he asked uncertainly.

"I'm pleased you remember me, Kurogane-kun, this is the high priest, Yukito-san. Welcome to the kingdom of Clow, I hope you and Yuui-chan will be very happy here," she said, looking into the familiar red eyes of the unfamiliar nine year old boy on the bed.

tbc


	6. Chapter 6

Kurogane stroked Yuui's back absently as he looked up at the two adults, the crying tapering off as the younger boy started to settle now that he was reassured that Kurogane was conscious.

"Why are we here?" he asked with a tiny frown.

"What do you remember, Kurogane-kun?" Yukito asked, slightly worried. Yuuko had assured him that there were memory implants to cover this.

Kurogane's frown deepened as he thought hard.

"Oh," he said, his eyes filling with tears that he stubbornly blinked away, refusing to cry in front of anyone else.

"We got the message that my home had been attacked, that there was no one left," he said his voice wobbly.

"That's right, and my brother, Touya-ou, said that you were very welcome to come home with Syaoran-kun and I," she said, keeping it vague, she wasn't sure how detailed the memories Yuuko-san had given him were.

Kurogane looked down at the blond head that was still resting on his shoulder, tightening his grip on him. Yuui was all he had left to connect him to his previous life now.

"It was very kind of him to allow us to come here," he said quietly.

"Do you feel up to getting up, Kurogane-kun? His Majesty would like to meet the two of you," Yukito said.

"I guess," Kurogane said, ignoring the hand Sakura held out to him and getting himself and Yuui off the bed.

Yuui clung to his arm as soon as they were upright, peeking around the taller boy at the two adults, his pale face slightly flushed and streaked with tears.

"Maybe we should get Yuui-chan washed up first," Sakura said.

"I'll take care of him, just tell me where," Kurogane said possessively, making sure that he was between Yuui and the adults.

"All right, we'll show you where the bathroom is," Sakura smiled, privately thinking that it was very cute how he was still so protective of the little mage.

/x/

Touya was reclining on his cushions, reading through a parchment, when Yukito came in.

"Hey Yuki," he said, looking up.

"Touya-ou, the children are coming to meet you," he said formally.

"Where are they?"

"Sakura-hime will be along with them in a moment."

"And seriously, neither of them has any idea that they are really supposed to be adults?"

"No, and Yuuko-san asked that we didn't try to change that, she isn't sure at all of what exactly the spell on Yuui-chan is, so she doesn't know that harm that could be done to him in telling him," he said.

"I don't trust that witch, Yuki," he said darkly.

"I know you don't, I still don't understand why though, she hasn't done anything to us except give us Sakura-hime and Syaoran-kun back," he said.

"I don't know Yuki, I feel like…I feel like…I can't explain it, but something about her sets my nerves on edge," he said, putting the parchment aside and rising, pinching one of his high priest's cheeks lightly.

"Don't be so formal when we're alone," he prodded, leaning forward to kiss him lightly.

"Majesty, we are in the throne room, in the middle of the day," he chided gently, pushing with a light hand at the center of the king's chest.

"Yukito, if you think there's anyone in this palace who doesn't know about us yet…"

"Sakura-hime doesn't know, and I don't believe that is the way you would like to inform her," Yukito said firmly.

Touya sighed, but his faint smile acknowledged that he knew Yukito was right as he stepped away and resettled on his cushions.

"So we just treat them like any other children?"

"Yes," Yukito nodded.

"Very well," he said.

They heard Sakura's voice then, talking to the two as she led them to the throne room.

"Onii-sama, this is Kurogane-kun, and Yuui-chan," Sakura said.

Touya looked at the two children, and Kurogane instantly went down on one knee as his parents had taught him, tugging Yuui down with him.

"Your Majesty, thank you for allowing us to come here. I am Kurogane, and this is Yuui," he said, keeping his head down.

"You're welcome here, our sympathies on your loss," Touya said.

"Thank you, Majesty," Kurogane said quietly, nodding gravely.

"You two can stand up, you don't need to kneel to me," Touya sighed; he hated it when people knelt to him.

The two rose, and he smiled faintly as the tiny blond tucked himself once more behind the bigger boy.

"I don't bite, you know," he said to Yuui.

Yuui tentatively stepped out to stand beside Kurogane, still holding tightly onto his arm.

"Good. Sakura-hime and Yukito-san are going to show you around the palace today and the town tomorrow. If there's anything you need, you must be sure to say so," he said.

Kurogane shifted and bit his lip uncertainly, then looked at Touya.

"Majesty, my Father was teaching me to use a sword, I would like to keep training, and my mother was going to start training Yuui to use his magic,"

"Of course you can keep training, and Yukito-san will take care of teaching Yuui-chan or finding him a teacher," Touya promised.

"Thank you," Kurogane nodded.

"Run along then," Touya said, nodding to Sakura that they could go.

Yukito was about to follow when he saw Touya watching the departing youngsters with a thoughtful look.

"To-ya?"

"Change is coming Yuki, following in their wake," he said distantly.

"What do you mean?" Yukito asked.

"What?" Touya sounded startled as he looked at Yukito, his eyes focused now.

"You just said change is coming," he reminded him.

"I didn't say anything," Touya said blankly.

Yukito opened his mouth, and then closed it again. If Touya didn't remember saying it, there was probably a good reason. He would just have to pay special attention to his meditations, and see if anything came to him about whatever was coming.

"I'd better catch up with them," he said.

Touya eyed him narrowly for a heartbeat, and then nodded, allowing Yukito to slip from the room in pursuit of the others.

/x/

Kurogane sat on the balcony of his room, facing out over the moonlit desert, tears streaming down his face as he finally allowed himself to cry for his parents. There was a light touch on his arm, and he turned to see Yuui standing there in his pale skin and hair, and the white nightshirt making him seem to almost glow in the moonlight.

"Are you all right?" Kurogane asked, hurriedly trying to wipe his tears away.

Yuui reached out and stopped him, eyes wide and sorrowful.

"Yuui?"

Yuui crouched down, frowning in concentration as he traced characters onto the stone floor, putting both hands down on the glowing words as soon as he was done. There was a pulse of purple light, and Yuui was gone, a small lump wriggling under the nightshirt. Cautiously Kurogane moved the cotton aside, and a tiny white kitten crept out, all fluffy fur and blue eyes.

Kurogane picked it up, feeling tiny claws pricking his cupped palms slightly as he lifted it to eye level.

"I hope you know how to change back," he said.

There was an almost inaudible little meow, and a miniscule paw batted lightly at one of the spikes of hair that was hanging in front of Kurogane's eyes. Kurogane cuddled the kitten against his chest, and allowed his tears to flow, understanding the gift Yuui had given him, the comfort he could give him, without making Kurogane uncomfortable to cry with someone else there. His fingers stroked absently through the silky fur as he stared out across the sands and just let himself grieve.

/x/

_Kurogane found himself sitting on one of the seats at the long bar, watching the mage puttering behind the counter, his hands busy even though he seemed to be doing nothing at all. _

"_Oi, mage. Why are there no other people here?" he asked, seeing the lithe body hesitate just for a moment. _

"_I wouldn't know, Kuro-chu, its your dream, isn't it?" he said, shrugging without turning to face the Ninja. _

"_Is it? If it were my dream Fai, you wouldn't still be running away from me, from yourself," he growled. _

"_And if it were mine, you wouldn't still be asking me questions I wasn't ready to answer," Fai shot back, walking away without a backward glance and vanishing through the door that led to the sleeping quarters upstairs. _

_Kurogane cursed the other man silently for a moment, and then paused to think about what he had said. If neither of them was controlling this dream, who's dream was it? Was it even a dream at all? _

_He eyed the door Fai had vanished through, wondering if he would be upstairs, should Kurogane follow him, or if he would have pulled one of those vanishing acts he seemed to do here, appearing in rooms without seeming to use any of the entrances. With a sigh, he decided to say to hell with it, and follow him. _

_Once he got upstairs, he finally tracked the mage down to the room Sakura had used, staring out of the window into the dark, silent and unmoving streets below. _

"_If this isn't your dream, and it isn't mine, then where the hell are we?" he demanded. _

_Fai finally turned, his eyes lost, vague. _

"_That, Kuro-curious would be the question of the century, wouldn't it?" he asked, and Kurogane could hear the faint notes of fear that no one else would catch in the mage's voice. _

"_Idiot, we'll figure it out. Nothing has managed to stop us going forward on this dumb journey up until now, and we're not starting here. We will figure it out, and we will move on," he said firmly, shaking the smaller man lightly. _

_The blue eyes tried for a moment to look resolute, determined, but it soon wavered, and the uncertainty came back. Kurogane realized that it wasn't really himself that the mage was worried for, he had known from the start that the blond had the self preservation skills of a lemming, and the self image of a brick, he would never worry for his own future, but he had tried so hard to keep from pulling anyone else down with him, and now he was worried for Kurogane, and only for Kurogane. _

"_We will figure it out," he repeated sharply, pulling the mage against him, and holding him tightly, trying to anchor him. _

/x/

Kurogane woke up, feeling a weight suddenly on his chest, and realized that the kitten which had gone to sleep on his chest had vanished, to be replaced by Yuui, who without the protection of the fur, his nightclothes, or blankets, was already starting to shiver in the cold desert air that was drifting in from the balcony.

He rolled him off gently, diving over to grab the nightshirt, half helping and half manhandling the smaller boy into it when he started to wake up.

"Get under the covers," he told him, diving back into their warmth himself.

Yuui obeyed sluggishly, and was already asleep again by the time Kurogane curled protectively around him, trying to warm him up, needing to keep him safe.

/x/

That was how Sakura and Syoaran found them the next morning, cuddled up peacefully.

"Seems almost a shame to wake them," she sighed, her eyes sparkling at the cuteness of the scene.

"They need to eat breakfast," he pointed out, making her sigh again.

"I suppose," she pouted,

"So…its really Kurogane-san then, he really had Yuuko-san turn him into a kid too?" he asked, hesitating to step across the threshold of the room. He clearly remembered the Ninja being rather grouchy if woken before he was ready or without the promise of a fight.

"It really is him, although, he seems…calmer somehow. He's still really protective of Yuui-chan though," she smiled.

He looked at her dubiously, wondering how similar this Kurogane was to the boy the book had shown him in Rekord. He hadn't struck Syoaran as calm, more like a bit of a handful, really. Time would tell, he supposed, once the two children settled, their true personalities would probably show more.

"Come on, let's get them woken up then," he sighed, stepping into the room.

tbc


	7. Chapter 7

Syaoran shifted uncomfortably as the king glared at him when he walked with Sakura behind the two boys into the breakfast room.

"What are you doing here Gaki?" he demanded.

"I invited him," Sakura said, glaring at her older brother.

"It's too early in the day for bickering, you two, and you're going to upset Yuui-chan and Kurogane-kun, they haven't been here long enough to know you don't mean it," Yukito rebuked them gently.

"I also wanted to invite Sakura-hime, and the boys out to the new dig," Syaoran muttered.

"There is no way Sakura or those two children is going anywhere near any dig until Yukito and I have checked it is safe," Touya growled darkly, if he had his way, Sakura at least would never go within a mile of any kind of archeological site ever again.

"Um, this site is nothing like those ruins, there is nothing magical about it at all," Syaoran assured him.

Touya snorted, not even remotely assured by his statement.

"I don't care how safe you think it is, generations of the most powerful high priests and priestesses in this land thought those other ruins were safe."

Yukito looked guilty at that, he had been one of the priests who thought it safe to continue using and exploring the ruins, and Touya sighed softly, resting one hand on Yukito's arm lightly.

"There is nothing for you to feel guilty about, Clow Reed himself thought it was safe," he pointed out.

Yukito smiled weakly, knowing the king was right, but still feeling that he should have known what was going to happen so close to the time when everything kicked off.

"Well, I want to go and see the dig, and I'm sure Kurogane-kun and Yuui-chan would really enjoy it too. You can come with us to check it," Sakura said stubbornly.

"No, I have things I have to do today," Touya said firmly.

"Perhaps as a compromise, we could go and check it out tomorrow. We did promise the children that the princess and I would show them the town today," Yukito interjected, noticing that the two boys were watching the _discussion _wide eyed.

"Fine, as long as nothing comes up in the meantime," Touya sighed, giving in.

The servants started to bring breakfast in then, and conversation was suspended while everyone got their food and started to eat.

/x/

Sakura and Yukito walked on either side of Kurogane and Yuui as they walked down from the palace to the town. Sakura had tried to take Kurogane's hand, but the boy had scowled at her, tugging his hand away. He didn't mind Yuui clinging to him, the smaller boy needed protection, but he certainly didn't need any adult treating him like a helpless kid.

They reached the market place, which was bustling as people started their shopping before the sun rose too high at midday, forcing everyone indoors until later in the afternoon.

"We should get them some lighter clothing," Yukito said, eyeing the light flush on the pale blonds face.

"Yes," the princess agreed.

They noticed as they walked through the market that people were staring, and whispering, wondering about the two strange boys who were walking with their princess and the high priest.

"Who are these two cute little things, hime?" the elderly woman running the clothing stall asked, laughing lightly at the glare that earned her from red eyes.

"This is Kurogane-kun and Yuui-chan, they only arrived yesterday," Sakura said.

"They're wards of the King," Yukito added to stop any further speculation, knowing that gossip would take the information all over the town by the end of the day.

"Oh dear," the woman said sympathetically, knowing that meant they were orphaned, even if the king himself didn't usually take in waifs and strays.

"We need to get them some suitable clothing, Yuui-chan especially, he isn't used to this heat," Yukito told her.

"Of course, of course, let me see what I have," she nodded enthusiastically as she started to rummage through her wares.

Yuui wandered away, his attention taken by something in a little wicker cage beside the next stall, which was loaded with clayware. He knelt down, poking his fingers through the weave of the cage, giggling as the tiny kitten inside licked his finger with a sandpapery little tongue. It was almost completely black, the solid color only broken by two little white socks on its front paws, and a single splash of white on the very tip of one ear.

"Yuui-chan, come here, we need to see if these will fit you," Sakura called.

Yuui pouted and pulled his fingers out of the cage, going back to the others, glancing back over his shoulder at the little black nose pressed against the cage.

As soon as the princess and the old woman had finished pulling him around trying clothing up against him, and turned their attention to Kurogane, who was glowering at them mutinously, Yuui slipped back over to the cage.

Yukito followed him, wondering what he was up to, and smiled as he poked his fingers back into the cage, stroking the nose of the kitten, totally oblivious to everything else around him.

"High priest-san, what can I do for you?" the young man running the stall asked.

"I'm curious about the kitten," Yukito said.

"Oh, it's the last of the litter my mouser had. It's the runt and no one wants it, undersized and not very steady on its feet," the man shrugged.

"What do you want for it?"

"You can take it, no one else will, and I have no desire at all to…you know," the man told him, showing he was more aware of the presence of the small boy than he had seemed.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am certain," the stallholder nodded, reaching over and opening the cage.

Yuui made a small sound of protest when the kitten was lifted from the cage by the scruff of its neck, his blue eyes following it as it meowed softly. He looked startled when the little bundle was deposited in Yukito's hands.

Yukito lifted the kitten up to check its gender, and smiled at Yuui.

"You have to look after her," he said, lowering the kitten into Yuui's arms.

Yuui bit his lip, his eyes looking a little teary as he nodded quickly, holding her close. The kitten nestled into his arms, her whole body seeming to vibrate as she purred.

"Thank you," Yukito smiled at the stallholder, bowing slightly.

"You're welcome, I'm just pleased that it found a home," he acknowledged, before being called away by a customer.

"Let's get back to the princess and Kurogane-kun, it looks like they have finished with the clothing merchant," Yukito smiled, ruffling Yuui's hair.

"Hello, what have we here?" Sakura asked, seeing the kitten when they came back stroking it between the ears with a smile.

"Yuui here made a friend, and no one else wanted her," Yukito said, watching as Kurogane poked the kitten curiously.

She meowed a protest and took a swipe at his finger with a tiny paw that made him snort with amusement.

"A lot of spirit for such a scrawny little thing, but I think white kittens are better," he grinned, giving Yuui a look that told him what he really meant.

Yuui's eyes lit up, and he bounced on his toes, poking Kurogane and pointing at the cat.

"What?" he asked.

"I think he wants you to name her," Yukito said, making Yuui nod enthusiastically.

"Tch, what do I know about naming kittens?" he snorted, blushing faintly and looking away.

Yuui poked him again, looking at him expectantly, and he looked down at his feet, blushing more.

"Spirit," he mumbled.

Yuui nodded his acceptance of the name, and giggled as she flicked her ears and meowed, stretching one paw out in Kurogane's direction.

"I think she likes it too," Yukito chuckled.

Kurogane snorted again, but reached out and tickled the kitten under the chin for a second.

/x/

They returned to the palace before noon, to avoid the sun during the hottest part of the day, and ran into Touya in one of the corridors, looking frazzled.

"What's that?" he asked, gesturing to the little bundle of black fur Yuui carried.

"It's a kitten," Sakura said in the tone of voice of one speaking to someone particularly dense.

Yukito sensed that the king really wasn't in the mood for sibling teasing right now, and stepped in quickly.

"Yuui-chan rescued her from a fate worse than death, your Majesty. Why don't we go back to the throne room, and you can tell me what your advisors have done to annoy you this time," he suggested, resting one hand lightly on the taller man's bicep.

"What makes you think it was the advisors?" Touya asked, allowing Yukito to lead him away from the younger people.

"Because it can't be Li-kun, he left at the same time we did this morning, and your advisors are the only other people you have seen today," Yukito told him smugly.

"Smart ass," Touya snorted as they vanished around the corner into the throne room.

"Why don't you two go back to your rooms until it's time for dinner, and let Spirit-chan get to know her new home," Sakura suggested.

"Yes, princess," Kurogane said, walking off down the corridor with Yuui bouncing at his side.

Sakura tiptoed to the entrance of the throne room, leaning against the wall beside the opening and pricking up her ears. She knew she really shouldn't eavesdrop, but she wanted to know what the advisors had done this time. Last time they had annoyed Touya this much, they had been trying to convince him that he really did want to marry princess Yumi from the kingdom to the east of theirs.

"So, what have they done this time, To-ya?" Yukito asked.

Touya glanced in the direction of the door, and his eyes narrowed.

"I wanted to send Sakura into seclusion in the temple for a year, to rebalance herself after the incident at the ruins, and they said that the longest she could be secluded for would be six months, for fear of the people thinking she was gone again," Touya said loudly, smirking when Sakura stomped into view, bristling.

"Onii-sama, how could you…?" she started to yell.

"I didn't, but I knew you were there," he smirked.

She huffed, and turned scarlet as she glared at him.

"So what did they really do?" Yukito asked, heading off another explosion.

"Ugh, they insist that now that Sakura is back, we have to have a ball and invite all of the neighboring nobles, so that they can welcome her home," he sneered, his lip curling.

"What's wrong with that?"

"Because the majority of the people they want to invite are the ones who have daughters. They're trying to marry me off again," he growled.

"What's the point of that? Everyone knows you love Yukito-san, and if they don't they must be completely dense," Sakura snorted.

"What?" Touya asked, his cheeks flushing.

"Onii-sama, I knew that you and Yukito-san were really good friends before I left, but it got kind of obvious even to me that there was something special between the two of you when we were on our journey. We kept meeting you on different worlds, over and over again, and on every world where we saw you, you had a Yukito-san with you," she said, knowing she was explaining it badly, but hoping that Yukito at least would understand what she meant.

"Soul mates," Yukito said, nodding.

"So, you don't mind, that Yuki and I are…close?" Touya asked.

"Why should I? At least he stops you being a jerk _all _the time, if you married one of the airhead princesses from a neighboring kingdom, they would just simper and go along with everything you said," she teased.

"Brat, maybe I should send you into seclusion for that," he growled.

"Maybe you should just announce Yukito-san as your consort already, and see what they do. Oh, and tell them that I don't want a ball, they can make you have one when I announce my engagement to Syaoran and not before," she said brightly, poking her tongue out at her brother and bolting for the door.

She heard her brother's roar of rage get cut off sharply as she ran along the corridor, and wondered briefly what Yukito had done to stop it, then decided she really didn't need to know in that much detail, and kept running.

The chief advisor wasn't so lucky; he hurried to the throne room in response to the sound, and found the high priest sitting across the king's lap, smothering the bellow of rage by the simple expedient of depriving him of oxygen with his tongue. The man stood there spluttering for a long moment, before realizing that they hadn't noticed he was there and making his own escape.

"Has he gone?" Yukito mumbled into the kiss.

"Uh huh,"

"Good, maybe he'll stop trying to get you married off," he snorted, diving back into the kiss.

/x/

Sakura went to check on the boys when she had got her breath back, to make sure they had found their rooms all right in the maze of corridors, and smiled to herself when she found them. The pair of them was lying on the floor in Yuui's room, dozing to escape the heat of the sun, and Spirit was padding unsteadily between them, obviously deciding which one she wanted to snuggle up to, to sleep. She wished she had one of those picture box things they had seen on their travels, cameera or whatever it was called; they looked so cute like this. She backed out quietly, closing the door behind her, she would wake them for dinner if they didn't wake up before then, she decided.

/x/

_Kurogane returned to the café as the sun started to set over Oto, finding the mage once more seated at the piano, his fingers brushing lightly over the keys creating what sounded to be a random melody. _

"_What did you find, Kuro-puppy?" he asked, his voice soft and dreamy. _

"_Nothing, nothing at all, no people, no Oni, no animals, no insects. There isn't a living thing here, but us," Kurogane sighed in frustration, plunking down on the piano bench next to Fai. _

"_Did you find anything that would tell us if this is your dream, or mine, or someone else's?" _

"_No. Maybe you should have come with me, you might have sensed it if there was any magic," Kurogane pointed out. _

_Fai said nothing, focusing instead on the keys of the piano with new intensity. _

"_You haven't set foot outside this building since you arrived here, have you?" _

"_No." _

"_Why not?" _

"_I…I don't know, I think…I don't think I was here, before you arrived," he said softly. _

"_You're scared, aren't you, you're afraid that if you go outside, it will all vanish?" _

"_Yes. I remember sleeping Kurogane, I remember sleeping in places where I felt safe, protected, and something kept pulling me away from them, and I'm afraid this will disappear too, if I go outside, and whatever else this place does or doesn't have, it has you. I'm scared that if it vanishes, I will be alone again," he whispered almost viciously, stabbing hard at a couple of the keys and making a discordant sound. _

"_Fai…" _

"_What?" _

"_I think I remember dreams, where you were in a dead sleep, I think I pulled you out of them," _

"_So, maybe this isn't your dream, _or _mine, but something we're dreaming together, because you were looking for me?" _

"_It could be, so if we both want to wake up enough, maybe it will happen," Kurogane suggested. _

"_You think we should just close our eyes and wish it?" Fai asked, a faint hint of amusement coloring his tone. _

"_Better than just sitting here waiting," Kurogane pointed out. _

"_Fair enough," the mage acknowledged. _

_Kurogane felt cold, thin fingers creep into his as he closed his eyes, but didn't pull away; he knew Fai just wanted reassurance that he wasn't going to disappear on him. _

_He sat there, wishing to go home, until he started to feel very foolish. _

"_It's not going to happen, is it?" he asked. _

"_I don't think so, Kurogane," Fai whispered. _

_Kurogane shivered, something about hearing the mage say his name like that terrifying him, he didn't like it one little bit. _

"_Don't call me that, mage, don't ever call me that," he growled. _

"_Oh, I knew Kuro-chu secretly liked my nicknames," Fai squealed in delight, glomping him. _

"_Get off, idiot," he yelled, trying to prize the wiry arms from around his neck. _

/x/

Kurogane woke up to a rough little tongue sweeping over his earlobe.

"Ewww, get off," he squeaked (not that he would ever admit that), jerking his head away from the little black and white kitten.

Spirit started up at him for a moment, before meandering over and trying to scrabble into his lap. Kurogane watched her struggle for a minute, barely feeling the pricking of the miniscule claws through the fabric of his pants, before rolling his eyes and sliding his hand under her rump, shoving her up. Spirit tumbled into his lap, and settled down to sleep.

"You know, fuzzy features, if I was the suspicious type, I would think you woke me up on purpose," he snorted, leaning back against the foot of Yuui's bed, and watching the other boy sleeping, idly petting the cat.

tbc


	8. Chapter 8

Yukito stepped out onto the balcony, moving silently to stand at Touya's shoulder as the king stared out over the starlit desert.

"You should go to bed, we're going to have to get up early tomorrow, if we're going to go and check out the new dig," he finally said, resting a hand on the taller man's shoulder.

"I'm still not happy about that, I have a bad feeling about it," Touya sighed.

"You just don't like Syaoran-kun, it's making you paranoid," Yukito teased.

Touya snorted and turned around to face the other man, gripping his waist lightly and pulling him in to rest against his body.

"You might be right, I suppose," he acknowledged with a faint smile.

"So is that what you're out here brooding about?" Yukito asked, snuggling in comfortably against the broad chest.

"No actually, I was thinking about what Sakura said earlier. Would you like to be declared as my consort?" he asked.

"That might be a rather extreme way of getting your advisors off your back," Yukito pointed out, tensing.

"That isn't why I'm suggesting it, baka. I love you, and I want everyone to know it," he sighed, rolling his eyes.

"To-ya…" Yukito hesitated, not sure what to say to that. He knew Touya loved him, but he had always thought that in the end, the king would give in to the pressure of his advisors, marry and start a family. He had never imagined that Touya would consider him as a royal consort.

"You don't have to answer me now Yuki, I've been thinking about it for most of the day, I don't expect you to jump straight to a decision."

"Do you think that your advisors will accept the idea?"

"Frankly, I don't care Yukito. I am the king, and I choose my consort, not them. If they don't like it, they can feel free to quit," Touya told him firmly.

"What about your people, will they accept the idea?"

"Yuki, I'm fairly sure that _my people _adore you," Touya pointed out, knowing that it was true; everyone loved the gentle soul of the high priest; they would be thrilled to have him as the consort.

"I don't need to think about it, I would be honored. I love you too, you know, I have done for a long time," Yukito told him quietly.

Touya tipped Yukito's chin up so that he could kiss him lightly, stroking his fingers through the soft, ash grey hair.

"So, if we tell Sakura in the morning, then we can tell the advisors tomorrow evening, when we come back from the dig site, if that's acceptable to you, my consort to be?" Touya asked.

"Sounds fine to me," Yukito nodded, looking up into those midnight eyes.

"Good. I suppose we should turn in then, I don't know about you, but I'm going to need to be rested to deal with Sakura in the morning, she will probably be insufferably smug," Touya sighed.

Yukito chuckled lightly as the two of them stepped inside together, and they shared another light kiss before going their separate ways.

/x/

Kurogane grunted softly as someone shook his shoulder, waking him up. He wasn't particularly surprised to see Yuui when he forced his eyes open, the pale, wraithlike figure standing beside his bed, clutching Spirit to his chest.

"Get in," he sighed.

The smaller boy set his kitten down on the foot of the bed, where she settled down with a soft purr, resting her head on her paws, going to sleep as Yuui scrambled up beside Kurogane, nestling in against the bigger boy's warmth.

"I don't know why you didn't just come in here in the first place, instead of letting me get to sleep and then waking me up," Kurogane grumbled, waiting for Yuui to stop fidgeting around before he got comfortable again himself.

Big blue eyes looked up at him mournfully, and he sighed.

"I'm not mad at you, just, come in earlier, or don't wake me up next time," he told him.

Yuui nodded slowly, and Kurogane snorted.

"Go to sleep," he said gruffly.

Yuui curled his fingers tightly in the fabric of Kurogane's nightshirt and closed his eyes. Kurogane watched the blond until his breathing evened out before going back to sleep himself.

/x/

_Kurogane hurried into the café area when he got up, looking for the mage. Fai had fallen asleep against him the previous night, and Kurogane had decided to let him be, but when he had woken up this morning, he had been alone, and he hadn't felt the blond leave. _

"_Oi, I thought you had vanished on me," he growled, seeing Fai standing in the doorway, looking out into the deserted street beyond, where the rising sun was making the buildings glow almost magically. _

"_Was Kuro-pi worried?" he asked, for once forgoing the false brightness that would normally lace his tone at that. _

"_Tch, of course I was. You were the one who was worried about vanishing, and until we know what the hell is going on here…"_

"_Is that the only reason?" he asked, sounding a little lost, almost distant._

"_What? Fai, what the hell has got into you today? You're acting weirder than normal." _

"_Why did you come after me Kuro-sama? I have been nothing more than a burden to you from the moment we met, why didn't you let me go? You had the chance to be rid of me." _

"_I…I didn't want rid of you, idiot. We…I, care about you, and I thought you cared about m…us." _

"_That was the trouble; I grew to care far too much about all of you. I never wanted to let any of you get that close to me, never meant to form any attachments. I was doomed to fail from the get go, the children accepted the fake me I offered them, they were content enough with Fai-mommy, but you…the harder I pushed you, the closer you seemed to get, you saw the masks and wanted to pull them down. Even when you got to see some of the darkness that my masks hid, you didn't turn away, you still wanted me to let the masks go. Why Kuro-sama?"_

"_Fai, I…I wish you could see yourself the way we do. There is no darkness in you. All the crap that you were put through in your life, and you were still kind to the people around you. Your masks only ever hurt you Fai, and that's why I wanted them gone. You wanted to help the kids, and even me, despite your rather bizarre way of showing it, but you would never let us in to help you in return," he growled, hoping Fai wouldn't turn around, he seriously doubted he would be able to talk so frankly to him if he was looking him in the eye. _

"_I was afraid you would all hate me, if you knew the real me, that you would reject me, make me leave. I was already so alone, and around all of you, at least I could maintain the illusion that I mattered to someone," Fai whispered. _

"_You matter Fai, you matter to all of us, nothing can take that away. We didn't turn away when we saw your past, did we?" _

"_No," Fai sighed. _

_Kurogane stepped closer, hesitantly resting a hand on one thin shoulder. _

"_Please stop running away Fai, stop hiding and leave the masks behind." _

"_I can't, I'm afraid," he whispered. _

"_You can Fai, I'm here, I will always be here, I'm not going to let anyone hurt you," Kurogane promised him. _

"_Yuui," he said quietly. _

"_What?" Kurogane asked, confused. _

"_You want the masks gone, Kuro-sama, Fai is a mask too you know. Fai died, and he can't really rest while I'm holding onto his name. My name is Yuui." _

"_Thank you," Kurogane said softly._

"_For what?" _

"_Letting go of one of the masks, letting me in. Thank you." _

_The blond turned then, burying his face in the taller man's chest, and Kurogane wrapped his arms around him slowly, letting him cling. He opened his mouth, but closed it again after a moment; he wasn't ready to say those words yet, and he wasn't entirely sure Fa…Yuui was ready to hear, them. _

/x/

The mirror misted over and Yuuko leaned back in her chair with a sigh, watching Watanuki walk in and set a teacup on the table beside her.

"Tea?" she asked in disappointment.

"Yes tea, it's far too early for even you to be drinking, besides, didn't you say that you thought you would be getting some business this afternoon?" he said impatiently.

"Of course, you're too good to me Wata-kun," she said, faking contriteness as she picked up the cup.

"Were you watching them again?" he asked, glancing at the mirror that was still slowly clearing of mist.

"Yes, they are growing closer, but they're both still shying away from crossing the last line."

"Kurogane-san is going to kill you, you know, when he figures out you interfered."

"I haven't interfered; I simply put his adult consciousness and Fai's into the same place. His presence is what woke Fai up, although I will apparently have to get used to calling him Yuui now whatever happens. It is simply hitsuzen that when they wake, they will also carry with them the means to grant another's wish," she smirked.

"You live dangerously, you know that, don't you?" he sighed.

"Shouldn't you be preparing lunch for us and Doumeki-kun by now?" she asked.

"Very dangerously," he growled, stomping out.

She looked over at the mirror again, sighing quietly.

"Come on you two, figure it out."

/x/

Sakura was startled when she was intercepted by her brother and Yukito on her way to wake the boys up for breakfast in the morning.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

"No, we just wanted to talk to you this morning, before breakfast. Come out here a second," Touya said, leading her out onto one of the balconies that surrounded the palace, Yukito following behind them.

"What's going on?" she demanded.

"Nothing much, we just wanted you to be the first to know that Yukito and I decided to take your advice. Meet the next consort of the Kingdom of Clow," Touya told her, wrapping an arm around Yukito's waist and pulling him closer.

Sakura squealed and bounced in place, clapping her hands together.

"That is so sweet!" she exclaimed, hurrying to hug them both.

"Just, don't say anything to anyone yet, not even the gaki. We have to tell the council this evening, and I would rather they not get wind of it some other way first," Touya told his little sister, tolerating the hug.

"I promise," she nodded.

"Good. Go on then, you were on your way to wake the boys weren't you?" Touya asked, shooing her off.

"Yes, I was," she nodded, stepping toward the archway.

She paused before stepping inside, unable to resist the chance to wind her brother up once more.

"You know, I'm glad you finally figured out that I'm the smarter one between us two, and that you should listen to my advice," she chirruped brightly, dashing inside before her brother could get hold of her and wring her neck. Hopefully Yukito would have him calmed down again by the time they all arrived in the breakfast room.

/x/

Touya and Yukito sat in the shade offered by a couple of palm trees on the edge of the dig site, watching Syaoran showing Sakura and the children around the ruins. Touya was peripherally aware of the presence of the royal guards, standing unobtrusively at the very edge of the circle of shadow, close enough to intercept any threat to their ruler, but far enough away to offer the illusion of privacy. Touya sighed faintly, he had wanted to talk about how he and Yukito were going to handle the council, but he wouldn't with them lurking there, and he had been unable to ditch them, once his advisors found out they were all heading into the desert. He felt Yuki brush his fingers lightly over the back of his hand, and smiled faintly at him, turning his hand over and capturing Yukito's fingers lightly.

"They look like they're having a good time," Yukito said softly, nodding over to where the younger ones were scampering around in the sunlight, exploring the ruins.

"Hmm, I still have a bad feeling," Touya frowned darkly.

"We both walked through the place before you let them go off and explore, Touya-ou, neither of us sensed anything amiss," he pointed out.

"I know, and I don't care, something is making me edgy."

A rumble ran through the ground then, and Touya tensed, looking up as the head archeologist yelled out loudly.

"Ground quake, clear the site, stay away from the walls."

Sharp, dark eyes scanning the ruins, Touya could see Syaoran hustling Sakura away from the dig, and over toward where they were sitting, looking back over his shoulder the whole time.

"I can't see them," Syaoran yelled to Touya, knowing he would know who he meant.

"The children," Touya barked at the guards, who obediently started to skirt the ruins, looking for signs of the two boys as a second, harder quake trembled through the ground.

"They were near the middle last time I saw them," Syaoran said, already starting back toward the ruins.

"Syaoran," Sakura whimpered.

"I'll find them," he told her.

He had only taken one more step when there was a thin scream, and a horrible crumbling sound as one of the walls began to crumble.

"Ku-gan," a high voice wailed as the wall tumbled inexorably toward the hot sands.

tbc

I know, I am beyond evil; I make you wait all this time for an update, and then I go and hang you off a cliff, *looks contrite*. To anyone who is still reading this, I promise this fic isn't abandoned, and I will _try _to update considerably faster this time.


	9. Chapter 9

"Gaki, stay with Sakura," Touya barked as he and Yukito broke for the tumbled wall, the royal guards hard at their heels and the archeologists following only slightly slower. Everything had gone frighteningly quiet, except for the soft sounds of settling rubble.

"Yuui, Kurogane," Yukito called as loudly as he could.

There was no answer at all, but Yukito realized that he could sense something odd.

"Magic, there is a source of magic, here," he called, pointing to an area of the collapsed wall.

"Yuui?" Touya questioned softly.

"I think so, I hope so. More to the point, I hope they're together," Yukito replied as they all started to quickly, but carefully; shift the rubble away from the area Yukito had pointed out.

Syaoran pulled a struggling, sobbing Sakura over to the shade of the palms, and made her sit down in the sand.

"We should help," she sobbed, trying to get up again.

"We should stay out of their way Sakura, they'll get to the boys," he told her.

"But…"

"Sakura, we will be in the way. Just stay here like your brother said, please," he insisted.

She gave in, and slumped against him, hiding her face in his shoulder as she cried.

Touya threw a rock aside to reveal a swirling wall of blue under it.

"Yukito, what the hell is this?" he asked.

"A barrier, it's a barrier spell. Move the rocks away from the barrier faster, I'm not sure how much longer a he can hold it, and if it goes, they'll be crushed," Yukito told the others.

"Can you reinforce it?" Touya asked.

"I wouldn't dare try, I don't know enough about Yuui-chan's magic yet, and I could end up simply forcing his barrier down before I could get my own up," Yukito told him, shaking his head.

There were enough of them working on it that it only took them another twenty minutes to clear enough of the rubble away from the swirling, shifting, opaque barrier that the occupants wouldn't be injured when the spell broke.

Yukito ran his hand over the surface to assess it, and a slight frown creased his brow as he tried to figure out how to bring it down without hurting the caster of the barrier spell.

"Try the obvious first," Touya said quietly, stroking his own hand across the barrier.

"Yuui-chan, let it go now Yuui, we're here now," Touya called out.

The barrier flared brighter, and then faded away to show a pale and trembling Yuui standing over Kurogane, his hands outstretched as he panted hard. Touya caught the boy as he collapsed, cradling him against his chest as he passed out, leaving Yukito to hurry over and check on Kurogane, who was still lying unmoving on the sand.

"It looks like he was clipped by a falling stone before Yuui got the barrier up, he's got a nasty lump on his head, but I don't think there are any fractures. We need to get both of them back to the palace, get them to the healers, as fast as we can," Yukito said.

"Here, you take this one," Touya said, gently transferring Yuui into Yukito's arms, and scooping up Kurogane carefully, the dark head coming to rest on his broad shoulder.

"Let's get moving," he called, striding for the wagon they had all come out to the dig on.

_/x/_

_Kurogane knelt on the floor of the café, cradling the unconscious mage to his chest tightly. The blond had gone down with no warning at all some time previously, his always pale skin now almost ghostly, and a vague, frightening air of insubstantiality hung around him. _

"_Don't vanish on me Yuui, please don't vanish," he said intensely, holding him tighter, and rising with the slender form in his arms. _

_He carried him up the stairs, into the room that the two of them still shared, despite there being no-one else here in this dream world. Setting him down on the futon, Kurogane lay down beside him, holding him protectively in his arms, hoping to anchor him here. He didn't have a clue what was going on, but he was no more anxious to be left alone here than the mage was. _

"_Come on idiot, stay with me," he ordered the still figure, resting his chin on top of the blond head. _

_/x/_

Kurogane moaned quietly as consciousness filtered back, leaving him with an unbelievable headache. He raised a hand toward his head, only to have his wrist caught by a gentle hand.

"You'll only make it hurt worse if you poke at it," a soft, soothing voice told him.

Forcing his unwilling eyes open, Kurogane looked up blankly at Sakura, who was sitting perched on the side of the bed where he lay.

"What happened?" he asked in confusion.

"Don't you remember? There was a ground quake, while we were visiting the dig. You got a bump on the head, but you're going to be fine," she assured him.

"I…I remember Yuui, I think…" he frowned, stopping when it made his head hurt worse.

"Did he…did he _yell_ my name?" he asked in confusion.

"Yes, he did. You're very lucky he was with you, you know," she told him.

"What? He wasn't with me, he was on the other side of the space we were in," Kurogane told her.

"Not when onii-sama and the others got to you he wasn't, he was standing over you. He probably saved your life," she told him.

"I don't understand," he complained.

"The ground quake made the wall you were by collapse, Yuui-chan protected you with a barrier spell until they could get to the two of you," she told him.

"_Yuui _protected _me_?" he asked, surprised, and then he sat up sharply, his eyes wide as he ignored the spike of pain, and the nausea that the movement caused.

"Where is he, is he hurt?" he demanded.

"Settle down, he isn't hurt, but he used a lot of magic to keep the barrier up as long as he did. He's asleep, there," she told him, gesturing to another bed beside the one where he lay, gauzy white curtains protecting the occupant from the light of the sun while still allowing the faint, gentle breeze through.

Kurogane threw the sheet covering him back, and stumbled unsteadily over to the other bed, ducking around the curtain. Yuui was pale, and perfectly still aside from the soft rise and fall of his chest. Yukito sat on the edge of the bed, his own eyes closed as his palm rested lightly on the child's forehead. Having seen his mother at work often enough to know better to interrupt the priest, Kurogane contented himself with letting his eyes check over everywhere he could see on the younger boy, making sure there wasn't a mark on him.

Sakura stepped up beside him and put a hand on his shoulder, trying to guide him back to his own bed.

"Come on, you should get back in bed, you shouldn't be up yet," she told him.

Kurogane shook her hand off, sitting slowly on the foot of the bed so as not to bounce it around, and crossed his legs under him, watching quietly until Yukito opened his eyes and lifted his hand away from Yuui's forehead.

"Is he all right?" he demanded.

Yukito glanced over his shoulder at the red eyed boy, and nodded.

"He's drained his magic quite severely, he'll probably sleep for a couple of days, but he isn't harmed," he assured him, rising smoothly.

"You should get back in bed," he told him.

"But I…"

"Go on, you're supposed to be resting, he's not going anywhere, and as soon as the sun goes down a little more, the healers will move the curtains, so you'll be able to see him too."

Reluctantly, Kurogane allowed the two adults to chivvy him back to bed, and suffered Sakura tucking the sheet around him in silence.

"Behave for the healers, and you should be allowed to get up in the morning," Yukito told him.

"Wait…um…his kitten…" Kurogane said, blushing to admit concern over a walking fluff ball.

"Don't worry, we'll make sure Spirit-chan is all right," Sakura promised him as she and Yukito left the boys to the mercy of the healers.

/x/

Touya looked up as Yukito came into the throne room, smiling faintly as he pulled him down to sit on the cushions beside him.

"How are they?" he asked.

"Kurogane-kun woke up, he's worried about Yuui-chan, but he's fine. Yuui is drained, he'll sleep for a day or two, but he's going to be fine too," Yukito told him quietly.

"Then what's bothering you?"

"I might have known you'd pick that up," he snorted softly.

"So…" Touya prodded gently.

"The magic barrier that Yuui had up, it should have been beyond him, barrier magic is quite a complex spell, and…when I touched the barrier, it felt…"

"Felt what?"

"Adult, it felt like there was an adult consciousness controlling the magic."

"So what are you saying? That you think Fai somehow took control of Yuui, to stop him and Kurogane being crushed?" Touya asked.

"I don't know. I've checked Yuui over magically, and there is no sense of that adult consciousness now. Unless it happens again, I suppose we'll just have to wonder," Yukito sighed.

"As long as it hasn't hurt him, and it isn't a threat, I wouldn't worry too much about it. It will sort itself out," Touya said with certainty.

Their conversation was interrupted by the advisors arriving in the throne room, the four elderly men looking scandalized to see Yukito sitting with the king the way he was. Touya eyed them narrowly, and held Yukito in place when he tried to get up.

"You summoned us, your majesty?" the head advisor queried as the four of them bowed in front of him.

"Yes, I did. I feel it is time for me to bring a consort to the throne," he said, his grip tightening on Yukito fractionally as he tensed at the pleased look on the four wrinkled faces.

"Yes your majesty, would you have us arrange a ball, or did you already have a bride in mind?"

"There will be no ball, and my chosen consort is your high priest, Yukito," he told them with his usual bluntness.

The four looked stunned, and the head opened and closed his mouth silently, trying to force words out.

"But…your majesty…the succession…you need an heir," he finally stuttered.

"I will have an heir. Sakura-hime will seek permission to marry her damn archeologist within the year, whether I like him personally or not, I will grant that permission, because she loves the brat. Their firstborn child will be a son, and _he _will be my heir," Touya said flatly.

"All due respect, your majesty, but you cannot know for sure…"

"Touya-ou can know for sure, while the future is always fluid, always in motion, Sakura-hime and Syaoran-kun's future is set in stone, they are soul mates, and nothing will part them," Yukito interrupted firmly.

The four men looked at one another, and Touya realized that they were trying to silently muster further objections to him taking Yukito as his consort.

"This is not a subject for discussion; you were simply informed so that you could make all the necessary arrangements to make it happen. Yukito _will _be the royal consort," he told them in a tone that brooked no further argument.

"Yes, your majesty. Did you have a time frame in mind?"

"You can make the announcement to the people at the end of the week. You will then have the three months to arrange the ceremony and send out the invitations to the neighboring kingdoms."

"We will get to work at once then, you majesty. Is there anything further you require?"

"No, you may go," Touya said.

"Well, they took that well," Yukito said uncertainly, slumping against him once they were alone.

"They were just surprised, they'll get used to it," Touya told him, wrapping a reassuring arm around him.

Yukito settled his head on Touya's shoulder, content to rest against him for the time being.

_/x/_

_Kurogane felt the mage stir against him, the other man finally feeling substantial in his arms again. _

"_Yuui?" _

"_What happened Kuro-puppy? I feel strange," he whispered. _

"_You keeled over. What do you mean, you feel strange?"_

"_I feel all floaty and weak."_

"_Do you have any idea why you collapsed?" _

"_No, but it was odd. Did anything happen here, while I was passed out?" _

"_No, why?"_

"_It felt like I was using my magic, but I have no idea what for. Maybe it was a dream," he sighed. _

"_Can you get sick in a dream world?" Kurogane asked, pressing one hand to the other man's forehead to make sure that he didn't have a fever. _

"_I hope we're not going to find out," Yuui told him, snuggling in closer as Kurogane didn't seem to be objecting to having him close. _

"_I thought you were going to disappear on me, you didn't feel real while you were unconscious. Don't do that to me again." _

"_I'll try not to," he promised, no hint of teasing in his tone. _

"_Good," Kurogane grunted._

_/x/_

"What happens if Fai-san wakes up without doing what you want him to do?" Watanuki asked as the mirror misted over again.

"He won't. That was an extreme circumstance, little Yuui will have no idea when he wakes up _how _he managed to save Kurogane, he has no idea he has an adult consciousness to call on," she said, leaning back in her chair.

"Don't you think it's a little unkind to mess about with them, after everything they've been through already?"

"I'm not messing with them Watanuki. When Fai…Yuui…is ready to wake up, he and Kurogane will be taken to where I need them to go, and then they will wake, no more no less. I am not keeping them in the dream world, and I am not manipulating the dream. Everything in there is up to them," she told the youth.

"What if they never wake up then?"

"They will, Kurogane is very close now, to giving Yuui what he needs. He will get up the courage sooner or later."

"I still think that Kurogane-san is going to kill you," Watanuki sighed, leaving the room.

"It isn't Kurogane I'm worried about," she muttered when she was alone, making the mirror switch to another location, and watching Touya-ou, reclining on his cushions with Yukito snuggled against him.

tbc


End file.
